Bolivian President slams US anti drug policies

UNITED NATIONS: In a spirited debut speech before the United Nations, Bolivian President Evo Morales called for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq and brandished a coca leaf to protest U.S. criticisms of his country's anti-drug policies.

Morales, a former coca-grower, has been a frequent critic of the United States since his election in December as Bolivia's first indigenous president.

Without mentioning the U.S. directly, Morales on Tuesday railed against those countries who "when they can't loot with laws, use troops."

"It is important that we withdraw troops from Iraq if we want to respect human rights," he added.

The U.S. State Department on Monday included Bolivia in its annual list of major drug-transit or drug-producing countries, singling out Morales' government for continuing to permit the legal harvest of coca, the principal ingredient in cocaine. Morales, a former coca-grower elected in December as Bolivia's first indigenous president, surprised the U.N. General Assembly by pulling out the small leaf - banned in the United States - and holding it aloft.

"Coca is green, not white like cocaine," he said, to a smattering of applause. "Scientifically ... it has been demonstrated that the coca leaf does no harm to human health."

Morales has upped his government's enforcement efforts against cocaine production while continuing to promote coca's legal use in tea, medicines and other products.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Christy McCampbell on Monday expressed "very serious concerns" about the effectiveness of Morales' coca policy. She reiterated demands for a more thorough eradication program, the development of alternative crops and an overhaul of Bolivian drug laws.

McCampbell said that the U.S. would review Bolivia's drug policies again in six months' time. Without significant change in the Morales' program, Bolivia could face decertification - the loss of some US$100 million (euro79 million) in U.S. government aid in the fight against narco-trafficking.

New York, Wednesday, AP