Memorandum on Providing International Counternarcotics Assistance to Certain Countries

Presidential Determination No. 98-41

Memorandum for the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Transportation

Subject: Drawdrawn Under Section 506(a)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act to Provide Counternarcotics Assistance to Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Countries of the Eastern Caribbean

Pursuant to the authority vested in me by section 506(a)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, 22 U.S.C. 2318(a)(2) (the "Act"), I hereby determine that it is in the national interest of the United States to draw down articles and services from the inventory and resources of the Department of Defense, military education and training from the Department of Defense, and articles and services from the inventory and resources of the Departments of Justice, State, Transportation, and the Treasury for the purpose of providing international narcotics assistance to Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago; and to Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (hereinafter, "the Eastern Caribbean countries").

Therefore, I direct the drawdown of up to $75 million of articles and services from the inventory and resources of the Departments of Defense, Transportation, Justice, State, and the Treasury, and military education and training from the Department of Defense, for Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Eastern Caribbean countries for the purposes and under the authorities of chapter 8 of part I of the Act.

As a matter of policy and consistent with past practice, the Administration will seek to ensure that the assistance furnished under this drawdown is not provided to any unit of any foreign country's security forces if that unit is credibly alleged to have committed gross violations of human rights unless the government of such country is taking effective measures to bring the responsible members of that unit to justice.

The Secretary of State is authorized and directed to report this determination to the Congress immediately and to arrange for its publication in the Federal Register.

William J. Clinton