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.
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