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UNIS/NAR/728 |
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Statement of the Chair DONORS AND STATES IN THE REGION STRESS URGENT NEED TO VIENNA, 16 October (UN Information Service) -- In the framework of the Vienna-based UN International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), representatives of seventeen donor countries, of nine countries in the region around Afghanistan and of the European Commission met to assess the situation with regard to drugs originating in Afghanistan, in the light of developments following the terrorist attacks of 11 September. The Chairperson, on behalf of the group, stated the following: Participants recognized that the importance of the fight against drugs in Afghanistan had gained increased urgency because of connections between drug trafficking and the financing of terrorism. Despite the Taliban’s effective ban on poppy cultivation last year, trafficking in Afghan heroin, drawing on important stockpiles, continued unabated. Participants in the meeting expressed their joint commitment to strengthening cooperation in order to reinforce border control capacity in the region, both of the countries in the first and second "lines of defence" and to fight against drug trafficking. They agreed on the importance of a more in-depth assessment of the situation and of urgent needs in the countries surrounding Afghanistan. They also considered preparation for long term action for the post-conflict period in Afghanistan, to preclude the resumption of poppy cultivation which would be unacceptable to the international community. They resolved to consider further priority action in the near future. * *** * |
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