Syria Still on Drug List Despite Efforts on Waiver

Despite Syrian requests for leniency, the Clinton administration is continuing to punish Damascus for manufacturing and exporting illicit drugs.

As expected, the State Department’s annual report on drugs lists Syria as one of five states not in compliance with U.N. treaties banning narcotic drugs.

The International Narcotics Control Strategy Report was released here Wednesday.

States on the list are immediately cut off from most categories of U.S. assistance, including foreign aid, and programs administered through Export- Import Bank, according to Robert Gelbard, the assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement.

In addition, the United States must vote against any loans to the country from multilateral development banks, Gelbard said.

In Syria’s case the move is largely symbolic because it receives no U.S. assistance or aid of any kind.

The other four countries on the list, which also were denied certification last year, are Afghanistan, Iran, Nigeria and Myanmar, formerly Burma.

Lebanon, also known for exporting drugs, received a more sympathetic assessment from the United States. The administration granted Lebanon a “vital national interest” waiver, keeping it off the list despite its role in heroin production.

Syria has asked for a similar waiver during bilateral talks with the United States last year, said White House Spokesman Michael McCurry.

The Syrians “felt that what they had done to control poppy cultivation warranted a certification,” McCurry said Wednesday, adding, “Our view was that there were additional steps that the government of Syria could take to control heroin production in areas in which Syria either influences or controls.”

The State Department also expressed reservations about Syria’s cooperation with drug producers.

“We remain concerned that there is still manufacture of drugs either under their hegemony or in their territory,” said Gelbard.

“We remain concerned about the problem of drug-related corruption among some officials of the government,” Gelbard said at a news briefing.

Although the Syrian army has taken some measures to control production in areas under its control, such as the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, the efforts fell short, according to the State Department report.

Lebanon received its waiver even though U.S. officials “have seen continued presence of both heroin laboratories and cocaine laboratories,” Gelbard said.

Congress has 30 days to overturn the administration’s certifications. No opposition is expected over the decisions on Syria or Lebanon.