31 January 2005

KABUL/VIENNA, 31 January (UN Information Service) -- Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), is encouraging Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his new Government to take tough measures against drug traffickers, and to support "a negative pledge," i.e., a commitment by farmers to refrain from drug cultivation, as a condition for the receipt of grants, loans, and other development assistance. If eradication efforts do not materialise, monies from donor States, non-governmental organizations, and other multilateral agencies would be rescinded.

"President Karzai and his cabinet have pledged to eliminate drugs in Afghanistan," says Mr. Costa. "In 2005, we need to see results, counter-narcotic efforts that prove this new democracy can, in fact, deliver on its promise to eradicate Afghanistan's poppy fields. I have urged the Government of Afghanistan and partner States threatened by an increasing influx of heroin to take up this challenge in effective and immediate ways -- by offering one another mutual legal assistance and creating legal mechanisms to support the prosecution of major drug traffickers," he adds.

To this end, the UNODC Executive Director is recommending "measures that would facilitate mutual assistance and extradition, including the issuance of international arrest warrants," an action supported by Articles 16 and 18 of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and Articles 6 and 7 of the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Drug Trafficking.

The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Drug Trafficking has been ratified by the Government of Afghanistan, an achievement which reflects the commitment of the Afghan authorities to expanding the Government's extradition and mutual assistance network. If such an expansion does occur, the result would be the facilitated extradition of Afghan nationals in conformity with Article 128 of the Constitution of Afghanistan.

Mr. Costa also stresses an urgent need for judicial reform in Afghanistan. "European States and other nations willing and able to extradite traffickers for trial in other countries need to help investigators and prosecutors in Afghanistan build strong cases that will hold up in any court -- this fledgling democracy needs outside support and technical assistance to strengthen its judiciary."

During his current visit to Kabul, Mr. Costa also meets with Commander General Jean-Louis Py of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), representatives from the international donor community, and heads of multilateral agencies that support economic development in Afghanistan.

Mr. Costa compliments President Karzai for the progressive stabilization and for the political accomplishments in 2004, especially his election and the appointment of a new Cabinet committed to fighting opium cultivation. "In 2005, we should begin to see good news coming out of Afghanistan," says Mr. Costa, who also supports eradication measures currently underway.

"No one can deny the magnitude and gravity of the current situation in Afghanistan. Major donors, multilateral development banks, the military operating in Afghanistan, and international aid agencies understand that the Afghan drug problem demands a bold and immediate solution," says UNODC's Executive Director.

While it is too early to estimate the 2005 opium harvest, anecdotal information points to a probable reduction in cultivation. According to Mr. Costa, "UNODC has been asked to verify the extent of eradication. If the evidence confirms what we suspect, a decrease in hectares devoted to poppy cultivation, it would be welcome news. The current opium glut is making it easier to persuade farmers to switch to alternative activities. But we must act now, before the opium production cycle has an opportunity to rebound and re-establish its hold on the Afghan economy."

Mr. Costa says the way to prevent opium cultivation from returning to Afghanistan is to "award greater development assistance to farmers at this precise point in time, to guarantee an off-set to income losses from eradication, and to shore-up the voluntary abandonment of opium cultivation." These initiatives would be implemented in tandem with more effective law enforcement measures, and the strengthening of criminal justice systems.

President Karzai has reiterated his support for and confidence in the work of UNODC, and confirmed his government's commitment to realizing demonstrable improvements in eradication in 2005.