US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Friday the United States was extremely pleased with Bolivia's anti-drug efforts but was unable to promise officials here the amount or type of assistance they want to rescue their struggling economy.
In meetings with President Hugo Banzer and her Bolivian counterpart Javier Murillo, Albright said it was imperative for La Paz to continue its coca eradication plan.
But she could not offer assurances on a request to eliminate tariffs on textile exports to the United States or increase monetary aid.
She pointed out what she said were Washington's generous contributions of hundreds of millions dollars to support it and other programs.
"While this does not eliminate all the problems in Bolivia, I feel that the United States is making a very large contribution here to recognize the importance not only of Bolivia as a country but of what Bolivia has been doing to deal with ... narco-trafficking," Albright said.
She recalled that over the past 10 years, Washington has forgiven Bolivia 450 million dollars in debt and may receive another billion dollars in such relief from the United States and the Group of Eight industrial nations if it enacts a poverty alleviation program.
She also noted that Bolivia would be the recipient of 110 million dollars as part of a one-off special regional component of US funding going to assist Colombian President Andres Pastrana's sweeping peace and anti-drug campaign.
This money was in addition to the 115 million dollars per year in ongoing assistance projects that La Paz regularly receives, she told reporters at a news conference with Murillo.
Banzer's government, however, struggling with economic woes and facing increasing public anger at high prices and unemployment, is looking for more, particularly as it claims its success in the drug war has had unintended social costs.
Crop eradication and substitution programs may have reduced coca production by 43 percent last year alone, but officials maintain the loss in jobs and earnings has bled the Bolivian economy of some 500 million dollars, albeit illegal, per year.
"The extraordinary results of the anti-drug program ... obviously led to an increase in social demands, particularly in the areas of employment and income," Murillo said.
He made clear that La Paz appreciated the current level of US assistance but questioned whether more could not be done.
"It's possible that it is not enough," Murillo said. "But in any case it is an indication of a very favorable trend in the support of the fight against drugs."
To boost the flagging economy, Banzer is hoping to have the US tariff on textiles, one of Bolivia's largest exports, removed but Albright warned the move could be difficult to pull off given the opposition of American labor groups.
"I have to tell you though that this is a very complicated problem as far as our trade relations with any country are concerned," Albright said, promising to work on the issue but holding out little hope for its passage.
She added, however, that much should be made of Banzar's wish to spark growth development and the economy by promoting foreign investment, urging La Paz to continue its efforts there.
Murillo agreed and appeared to indicate that Bolivia felt it was time to expand its long-time status as US-drug war allies to a more-wide ranging relationship.
Bolivia wants "a diversified agenda where we attach greater attention to subjects like investment, diversification of the economy, the environment, democracy (and) human rights," he said -- LA PAZ (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
