Bush suspends tariff accord with Bolivia over drug spat

The White House said Wednesday it will suspend a tariff agreement with Bolivia next month for its failure to cooperate in an anti-drug effort, three weeks after Bolivia told US anti-drug agency DEA to leave the country.

President George W. Bush "signed a proclamation that suspends the designation of Bolivia as a beneficiary country under the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) and the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA)," said spokeswoman Dana Perino.

She said the proclamation was signed Tuesday and would go into effect December 15.

"The suspension ... is the result of Bolivia's failure to cooperate with the United States on counternarcotics efforts, which is one criterion for ATPA and ATPDEA eligibility," Perino added in a statement.

The agreements can be restored if Bolivia "were to improve its performance under the ATPA and ATPDEA programs' criteria," and at Bush's discretion, Perino said.

Leftist President Evo Morales on November 4 gave US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents three months to leave Bolivia, accusing them of encouraging political unrest.

The US government rejected the accusations as "absurd," and warned that an end to US-Bolivian cooperation would only result in increased violence and drug trafficking.