LA PAZ, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Bolivia on Tuesday rejected the conclusions of a United States State Department report on drug trafficking and questioned Washington's role as a "unilateral judge."
The United States is not a recognized body for evaluating drug policies in other countries, Deputy Minister of Social Defense and Controlled Substances Jaime Mamani told state-run Bolivia TV.
The official defended Bolivia's "proven" commitment to a frontal and transparent fight against drug trafficking, with an average of 35 tons of drugs seized annually.
He praised Bolivia's anti-narcotics strategy as "comprehensive and sovereign," based on the concerted eradication of illegal coca crops and international cooperation with agencies such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Narcotics Control Board.
Bolivia's Ministry of Government also criticized the U.S. report, asserting in a statement that "drug trafficking is a global problem with shared responsibilities, and the fight against it must be the result of multilateral cooperation as established by international organizations, not unilateral accusations."
Bolivian authorities noted that the United States, as a leading consumer of illicit drugs, lacked the authority to rate the effectiveness of other countries' drug policies. ■