The US is again accusing Bolivia and Venezuela of failing to curb drug trafficking within their borders. In an annual report, the State Department said both countries had “failed demonstrably” in the drug fight. Bolivian President Evo Morales accused the US of hypocrisy and politicizing the issue.

Bolivian President Evo Morales: “Instead of having the United States certify or decertify us, why doesn’t UNASUR certify or decertify the United States? We also want to know if there is a battle against drug trafficking in the United States. Why don’t they break bank secrecy? They can do that. I ask myself, why do they forbid us to buy small planes with radars, which would allow us to fight in a more effective way against drug trafficking?”

Recent UN figures show cocaine production in Bolivia rose just five percent in 2007. Colombia, which has received billions in US aid, saw an increase of 27 percent the same year.