Venezuela strongly rejects US listing of drug producing, trafficking countries

Venezuela "strongly" rejected a recent White House memorandum that listed it as one of the countries involved in drug production or trafficking, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on September 17.

The memorandum issued on September 15 accuses more than 20 countries of being "major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries," Xinhua reports.

The memorandum is of an "interfering nature" and has no legal status, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

"In that infamous publication, the faithful compliance with international commitments" of Venezuela in the fight against illegal drug trafficking is not mentioned, the statement said.

The ministry also condemned the U.S. government for trying "to be the policeman of the international arena and to persist in the imposition of extraterritorial policies."

The United States, it added, "seeks to make unfounded judgments" about Venezuela to justify its annual expenses in the alleged war on drugs.

The Venezuelan government said it was only after the expulsion of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration from its territory in 2005 that the country began to make the largest drug seizures in its history.

The South American nation also reaffirmed its "unrestricted and unconditional commitment in the frank, upfront, and sincere fight against drug trafficking."