Pubdate: Thu, 07 Oct 2004 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2004 The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456 Author: Michele Alliot-Marie Note: Michele Alliot-Marie is France's minister of defence. This article first appeared in the Washington Post. ENDING AFGHANISTAN'S DRUG BOOM The opium problem could undo everything that's being done to help the Afghan people. Afghanistan's presidential election this Saturday will be a key moment in that country's history. For three years, the international community has done an outstanding job of stabilizing Afghanistan and building a future for its people. During my recent trip there, I had an opportunity to appreciate the essential role played by NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Yet, despite these efforts, one issue is particularly worthy of attention: the noticeable increase of narcotics production since 2002 and its geographical expansion in Afghanistan. Apparently, 28 of the country's 32 provinces are producing opium, with more than 1.7 million people employed at this work. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, opium production in Afghanistan in 2003 amounted to about 3,600 tonnes -- three-quarters of world production -- over 200,000 acres of cultivated land. An even larger harvest is expected this year as traffickers stock up to protect themselves against a reaction from the international community. Not only do these narcotics flood the global drug market, with serious consequences for public health, their production is impeding Afghanistan's stabilization. Warlords are taking advantage of and protecting trafficking. Narcotics-related financial networks are fed by particularly powerful underworld groups that undermine authority and the rule of law. "No-go" areas that foster crime are developing. And money generated by trafficking makes it possible to fund attacks by Taliban fighters still in the area. In fact, there is little doubt that drug money is funding terrorist activities. And 10 per cent of the heroin produced in Central Asia is consumed locally, creating a public health problem for Afghanistan that must be confronted rapidly. Drug trafficking and the farming of poppies are damaging the area's economic development, a prerequisite for re-establishing the nation's stability. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has outlawed drug production and trafficking and last January created a special force for counternarcotics efforts. Nonetheless, the scale of the problem demands a response that goes beyond local resources and capabilities. Like the international community, France is concerned and is willing to help. We must take advantage of the post-election dynamics to act quickly. A first step will be to reinforce training of the Afghan police, to improve the judiciary system, and to strengthen the disarming, demobilizing and reintegrating process. A second will be to encourage measures to prohibit poppy-processing laboratories. But this won't be enough. An international force other than the ISAF, specifically tasked with counternarcotics operations, should be established. And a third axis is necessary, to support the development of substitute crops. There are many signs that production can be controlled if there is efficient action on the main issue: the poverty of small farmers. Traditional food crops such as wheat and corn can offer a viable alternative. The U.N. World Food Program has offered to help Afghanistan investigate new markets, such as nuts and grapes. Along with new irrigation systems, several tree nurseries should be renovated to meet the increasing demand for plants. All these initiatives must be encouraged, and the international community must promise that its members will purchase the crops. The international community must operate cohesively, displaying a fierce determination to succeed. France is committed to help Afghanistan in this political transition phase, beyond the election. The involvement of our forces not only in the ISAF but also in counterterrorism through Operation Enduring Freedom and in the training of Afghan troops remains highly beneficial. But in Afghanistan as elsewhere, counterterrorism must be global, and this encompasses the links between narcotics, money and terrorism. This is a war that must be fought on all fronts, a war in which France will be involved without reservation. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek