http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=klLWJcP7H&b=914257&ct=1458961HUMAN RIGHTS --
BUSH GIVES COUNTRIES WITH HUMAN TRAFFICKING PROBLEMS RECEIVE A FREE PASS:
The State Department has identified 14 countries that have failed "to take significant actions to bring
into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking." The report released in June also notes that this designation could trigger financial sanctions. But, President Bush has decided that only three of these countries -- Myanmar, North Korea, and Cuba -- deserve a withholding of financial assistance. Sudan, for instance, has received the okay from the administration to avoid any cuts in U.S. assistance, despite the Sudanese government-backed genocide in Darfur. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, U.S. allies in the Middle East, received similar passes. The Associated Press reported, "The White House statement offered no explanation of why countries were regarded differently."