News

The White House Briefing Room


September 30, 1998

Presidential Determination No. 98-41

THE WHITE HOUSE

                       Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release                        September 30, 1998


                            September 30, 1998


                                   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


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