June 20, 2003	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 19, 1424

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UNITED NATIONS, June 19: Pakistan on Thursday reiterated its support for the Afghan Transitional Administration’s pledges for eliminating drug production, saying President Hamid Karzai’s government was the only legitimate authority in that country.

These views were expressed by Ambassador Masood Khalid, deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan while speaking at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, convened to discuss the situation in Afghanistan with special emphasis on the narcotics problem.

Stressing the need for implementing the writ of the Afghan Transitional Administration throughout the country, he said: “For Pakistan, the government of President Karzai is the only legitimate authority and therefore only its writ should run throughout the country not those of the self-styled commanders. Until the authority of the Afghan Transitional Administration is extended throughout the country, the lawlessness and security threats will continue.”

Mr Khalid said: “It is in the interest of all of us to work together to assist Afghanistan in this endeavour.”

“The lack of security, law and order are the basic catalysts for illicit production and trafficking of narcotics. Such activities are fed by abject poverty and the lack of alternative livelihoods. They are perpetuated and protected by influential commanders who defy the decrees of the central government and flout the ban on growing poppy. As long as the drug trade flourishes, the prospects of peace and stability in Afghanistan as well as chances of its recovery and reconstruction in many of its provinces remain dim,” the envoy said..

Over the years, he said, in an environment of conflict and lawlessness, Afghanistan had become “a primary locus” for drugs. “Although opium production in Afghanistan almost temporarily disappeared in the year 2000, it has now since increased significantly. Last year, opium production stood at 3,400 tonnes. The projections for this year are almost for the same level of production, if not more. An estimated area of 74,000 hectares remains under opium cultivation.”

“... Ordinary Afghans continue to live in fear of armed men, from ordinary brigands to powerful warlords. Factional fighting, ethnic and internecine conflict mars much of the landscape. Added to this are the activities of the Taliban and other rebel elements, who have recently targeted not only the Coalition forces and ISAF personnel but also international humanitarian staff including de-mining personnel and ICRC officials.”

He said: “Pakistan unequivocally condemns all such acts as well as attempts to undermine the authority of President Karzai...”

He said the drug problem in Afghanistan also had serious implications for its neighbours — particularly Pakistan. Before the conflict began in Afghanistan, the number of drug addicts in Pakistan was negligible.

“Today, there are nearly 3.5 million of them. This is inspite of the fact that Pakistan has taken strong and effective measures to deal with the drug production on its side of the border.”

He said that there was a need for “a ... coordinated approach ... to interdict the illicit trafficking of drugs (and) also to deal with its source. Pakistan welcomes the decree issued by President Karzai on January 17, this year, banning the production of opium and calls on the international community to provide all possible assistance to the Afghan government to help implement its National Drug Control Strategy ... We also support the lead role taken by the UK and Germany, respectively, to help build Afghan capacity in counter-narcotics and law- enforcement ...”

Pakistan, he said, was “ready to work with the international community to assist the Afghan government meet its counter- narcotics goals...”

“While interdiction methods are useful, the problem of illicit drug manufacturing cannot be effectively tackled unless the chemical precursors used in drug manufacturing — especially acetic anhydride — can be prevented from reaching the illicit laboratories in Afghanistan... For this, countries which produce these chemicals bear a special responsibility to prevent their outflow. Without the precursors, there will be no illicit heroin no morphine.”

Ambassador Masood Khalid said that reducing the supply of drugs should occur along with effective demand reduction.

Stressing the need for strong enforcement action against suppliers, consumers and financiers of illicit drugs, he said that the drug problem would remain unless action was taken in the destination states.—APP