Throughout its 15-year existence, the certification process has proved to be an effective, if blunt, policy instrument for enhancing counter-narcotics co-operation

US drugs official

The annual judgement is important; if a country is decertified, it will not normally receive US aid.

Cambodia and Haiti failed to meet the certification criteria, but President George W Bush waived the aid ban on the grounds of US national interest.

The only changes from last year's list involve Paraguay and Nigeria, which were elevated from decertified to certified.

Hong Kong and Taiwan were removed from the list of major drug-producing or smuggling countries; Mexico, Colombia and all other Latin American countries were certified.

Affront

BBC Washington correspondent Jonny Dymond says certification is a process that has aroused the ire of America's neighbours; Mexico's President Fox described it as an affront that should be cancelled.

Rand Beers, assistant secretary of state for narcotics, defended the controversial certification process.

US provides training for anti-drug units in Colombia

"Throughout its 15 years existence the certification process has proved to be an effective, if blunt, policy instrument for enhancing counter-narcotics co-operation," Mr Beers said.

He did concede that there were certain difficulties with the process.

"We should not hesitate to investigate other ways to encourage co-operation on counter-narcotics," Mr Beers said.

Colombia increase

Despite being certified, and despite massive US aid and the world's largest crop eradication programme, there is evidence that illegal crop cultivation in Colombia is continuing to increase.

Drugs crop cultivation grew by 11% last year, with over 120,000 hectares dedicated to growing coca and poppy, the raw materials for cocaine and heroine.

Data gathered by US intelligence agencies shows that drug cultivation has increased by 32% in the guerrilla safe haven of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the FARC.

An area where crop-dusting aircraft and security forces are forbidden to enter.

BBC Colombia correspondent Jeremy McDermott says analysts see the latest figures as showing the futility of the US drug strategy.

They insist that as long as demand remains in Europe and the US for illegal drugs then the crops will be grown and the balloon effect will continue - which means that if crops are destroyed in one place, they will simply spread to another.