Pubdate: Sat, 16 Jan 1999 Source: ITAR-TASS (Russia) Copyright: 1999 ITAR-TASS. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NARCOTICS HELD IN TAJIKISTAN. DUSHANBE, January 15 (Itar-Tass) - An international conference "Tajikistan without Drugs" was held in Dushanbe on Friday and attended by Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov, diplomats and staffers of international organizations. In the words of the president, he is dissatisfied by measures against the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs in the republic. Rakhmonov strongly criticized several ministries and departments, including the Health Ministry, for paying little attention to joint international programs. Another reason for the wide-spread of narcotic drugs is the "absolute chaos" in the storage of narcotic and psychotropic substances by private companies, the president said. The control over the illicit transportation of narcotic drugs from the republic by car, air or railroad is weak. In the words of the president, about one ton of various drugs is shipped from border zones of Afghanistan to Tajikistan every day. He thinks that the solution of the Afghan problem is an extremely important condition of a successful fight against the drug spread. The neglect of that factor can have catastrophic consequences because the warring sides mount the drug trafficking to replenish their arms arsenals. "A safety belt" around Afghanistan can help lower the transportation of narcotics from that country, Regional Director of the U.N. program of international drug control Bogdan Lisovich said at the conference. - --- MAP posted-by: Rolf Ernst