The British parliament has recommended that Bolivia’s request should be backed by the UK government, arguing that it was important that countries remained within the single convention. Bolivia’s re-accession could be blocked only if a third or more of the 184 countries that have signed up to the convention opposed its request. There are suspicions that the US and UK are frantically lobbying other countries to gain sufficient numbers to block Bolivia’s request. Nancie Prud’homme, of the International Center on Human Rights and Drug Policy, criticized the co-ordinated opposition to Bolivia’s demands. “These objections are legally questionable,” she said. “They support an arbitrary and over-broad provision and apply international drug laws in a vacuum. This is not appropriate. There are established international norms on cultural and indigenous rights, so we should support Bolivia’s efforts.”
How could Bolivia’s return to the convention be blocked?
If over a third of the members of the convention reject Bolivia’s demands If more than 184 countries sign the convention If Bolivia’s cultural and indigenous rights are deemed unlawful If Bolivia fails to stop all cocaine trade within its borders