9/4/2004
Opium Cultivation Could Threaten Stability Afghanistan

The UN Security Council has called for greater international efforts to combat the illicit drug industry in Afghanistan. The Council fears that opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, by far the world's biggest producer, could undermine the rule of law, security and economic development in the country.

Ambassador Gunter Pleuger of Germany, this month's holder of the rotating presidency, read out a presidential statement on the 6th of April in which the Council supports the Berlin Declaration. This declaration is the result of last week's reconstruction conference in Berlin and outlines Afghanistan's priorities over the short term. These include disarming and demobilizing armed factional groups and successfully holding national presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled for September.

Mr. Pleuger said the Council identified narcotics as one of the greatest threats to the stability of Afghanistan, wanted economic alternatives to be developed so that farmers do not turn to drug production to make a living. He called for closer co-operation from neighbouring states to obstruct and eliminate drug trafficking routes. "Afghanistan needs both human and financial resources to tackle this problem," he said.

The Council said it welcomed pledges during the Berlin Conference by international donors of $8.2 billion - to cover the period between March 2004 and March 2007 - towards Afghanistan's reconstruction.

Earlier, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, briefed the Council on Afghanistan, saying the Berlin Conference represented an impressive achievement and indicated global confidence in the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

But he said the road to peace and stability in Afghanistan remains beset by "daunting" tasks, including economic development, the drug industry and the lack of security.

Mr. Guéhenno said that dismantling the drugs economy would be an enormous challenge given that it generated more than half of Afghanistan's national income in 2002." Turning back this tide will take a concerted effort and patience, but the immediate efforts of the Afghan Government on the eradication front must also be supported."