Pubdate: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 Source: Financial Times (UK) Section: Europe and Middle East, Page 7 Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 2001 Contact: 1 Southwark Bridge, London, SE1 9HL, UK Fax: +44 171 873 3922 Website: http://www.ft.com/ Author: Guy Dinmore, Tehran UK MINISTER IN TEHRAN TO SIGN PACT ON DRUGS Mo Mowlam, the first UK cabinet minister to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, is to sign an agreement tomorrow on co-operation in fighting drug trafficking and addiction. Ms Mowlam is in charge of the UK government's anti-drugs policy, but officials hope her visit and a meeting with President Mohammad Khatami will put UK-Iran relations on to a better footing after a recent downturn. Iran's foreign ministry suddenly pulled out of a London conference on investing in Iran this month, while UK businessmen have also had visa problems. The reason appears to stem from Tehran's annoyance that Robin Cook, UK foreign secretary, twice postponed visits to Iran last year that coincided with developments in the trial of 13 Iranian Jews accused of spying for Israel. Ms Mowlam raised the question of human rights in talks with senior officials yesterday, as did Italy's visiting prime minister, Giuliano Amato, on Saturday. Mr Amato said Iran faced a choice of reform and development or isolation. Such criticism, although muted, comes at a specially sensitive time ahead of an annual United Nations resolution on Iran's human rights performance proposed by the European Union. Yesterday Ms Mowlam praised Iran's "heroic" efforts in the war against drugs and expressed her condolences to the families of 3,000 members of the security forces killed over the past 20 years, most on the border with Afghanistan. Most of the heroin consumed in Europe passes through Iran from Afghanistan, which accounts for 80 per cent of the world's opium, the source of heroin. Britain has contributed Pounds 2.68m in aid for Iran's anti-drugs programme, more than any other country. Some was spent on flak-jackets and night-vision goggles. Ms Mowlam announced a further Pounds 78,000 for a demand reduction programme and will sign a memorandum of understanding on drugs co-operation with Vice-President Mohammad Hashemi. Her host in Iran was to have been General Mohammad Fallah, head of the Anti-Drugs Headquarters, but he resigned last week. Officials cited health problems but Iranian sources said his departure was linked to differences over policies. Gen Fallah last year said Iran's anti-drugs campaign, with its emphasis on stopping supply instead of treatment and prevention, had reached a dead end. He also expressed his opposition to the death penalty. But the judiciary chief wants a tougher line. Last month he said 800 prisoners convicted of drug-related crimes had been sentenced to death and could not be pardoned. Reflecting Iran's growing alarm at its problem, with an estimated 2m addicts, the Tehran Times proposed that drug addicts who did not reform should be drowned. For regional reports, www.ft.com/mideastafrica. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth