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DATE=11/10/1999 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=U-S - DRUG LIST (L-ONLY) NUMBER=2-256032 BYLINE=KYLE KING DATELINE=STATE DEPARTMENT CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: The Clinton Administration has taken two countries off its annual list of places that are considered major drug producers or drug transit points. There were no new additions, but North Korea was added as a country of concern. From the State Department, V-O-A's Kyle King reports. TEXT: President Clinton's letter to Congress says the Caribbean nations of Aruba and Belize were taken off this year's list. Under U-S law, countries found to be major producers or drug transit points could have U-S aid cut off if they do not cooperate with counter drug efforts. /// OPT /// Although they are not sovereign countries, Hong Kong and Taiwan remain on the list. The other countries listed in Asia are Afghanistan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Laos, India, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. In Latin America, the designation applies to the Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. The only African country listed is Nigeria. /// END OPT /// Some members of Congress are bound to be angered by the absence of Cuba from this year's list. State Department spokesman James Rubin says there was no evidence of major quantities of drugs being shipped from Cuba to the United States. /// RUBIN ACT /// We remain concerned about trafficking through and around Cuba, and around Cuban airspace, yet during this past year we have seen an apparent decrease in the trafficking patterns. /// END ACT /// Mr. Rubin says last year's seizure of a seven-ton shipment of Colombian cocaine bound for Cuba was apparently destined for Europe and not the United States. To make the list, a country must either produce more than one-thousand hectares of illegal drugs or be a major shipment point for drugs heading to the U-S market. /// REST OPT /// The President's letter says there has been no confirmation of reports that North Korea has become a significant producer of opium poppy. But the letter lists North Korea as an area of concern. The entire Eastern and Southern Caribbean was also listed as an area of concern. Although Iran is listed as a shipment point for drugs to Europe, the report notes Iranian claims of success in eradicating opium poppy cultivation. The letter says there was no detectable cultivation in traditional areas. (Signed) NEB/KBK/TVM 10-Nov-1999 18:34 PM EDT (10-Nov-1999 2334 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .