Muslim neighbors sign pact on campaign against drugs

Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to bolster regional cooperation to combat drug smuggling at a time when the cultivation of illicit opium poppy is increasing due to the ignorance of the NATO troop in Afghanistan, the world number one opium producer.Afghanistan provides about 90 percent of the world's opium, the raw ingredient used to make heroin, and the UN and Afghan government have long tried to wean the country off the lucrative crop.The largest areas of opium poppy cultivation are in the violent south of the country, where it can be hard to make money on legal crops and where criminal networks exist to buy and sell the poppy crop. "Despite a decade of initiatives by the Afghans and international community, opium production is increasing," said Yuri Fedotov, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. "This situation can't continue." Most of the opium from Afghanistan is shipped through Iran and Pakistan, and the three countries have for the past four years been involved in a UN-sponsored initiative to set up joint planning cells in each country to coordinate their efforts. They pledged to bolster joint operations targeting smugglers and the networks they use to get the drug to the international marketplace. "Iran is a transit route and the production of drugs in Afghanistan is on the increase," said Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, who heads the country's counter-narcotics department. "The reason is high demand." Eastern Iran borders Afghanistan, which is the world's number one opium and drug producer. Iran's geographical position has made the country a favorite transit corridor for drug traffickers who intend to smuggle their cargoes from Afghanistan to drug dealers in Europe. Iran leads international efforts in fighting drug networks and narcotic traffickers. According to the statistical figures released by the UN, Iran ranks first among the world countries in preventing entry of drugs and decreasing demand for narcotics. Iran spends billions of dollars and has lost thousands of its police troops in the war against traffickers. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Iranian police have lost more than 3700 of their personnel in the country's combat against narcotics. Owing to its rigid efforts, Iran makes 89 percent of the world's total opium seizures and has turned into the leading country in drug campaign. According to the UNODC, these days, 93 percent of the world's opium is produced in the neighboring Afghanistan, 60 per cent of which is destined for the EU and specially US markets, and the main transit route is Iran, where the country's dedicated police squad risk their lives to make the most discoveries of drug cargoes, disband drug-trafficking gangs and organizations and much more in a bid to rescue not only the Iranian youth but also all those living in Europe and the US. Iran has always complained about the EU and other international bodies' lack of serious cooperation with Iran in the campaign against drug trafficking from Afghanistan. Ministers in charge of counter-narcotics for Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan met in Kabul on Monday. The UN has said that insecurity and rising opium prices have driven Afghan farmers to increase cultivation of the illicit opium poppy by 7 percent in 2011, despite a major push by the Afghan government. Production in Afghanistan had dropped significantly in 2010 because of a plant disease that killed off much of the crop. Revenue from the drug has helped fund insurgents, and the number of people invested in the underground opium economy has made it difficult for the Afghan government to establish its presence in opium-heavy regions. Other countries in the region have also expressed worries about increasing production. The Russian government recently said about 2 million of its citizens are addicted to opium and heroin - most of which comes from Afghanistan. It has repeatedly called on NATO forces to do more to stop Afghan production. A report last month showed that opium cultivation is spreading to new parts Afghanistan, a good excuse for the NATO, or at least the US, troops to justify an extension of their mission in Afghanistan beyond 2014. The Iranian police officials maintain that drug production in Afghanistan has undergone a 40-fold increase since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001. Late in May, UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to Afghanistan Staffan de Mistura acknowledged increased drug production in Afghanistan, and praised Iran's activities and efforts in fighting drug plantation, production and trafficking. While Afghanistan produced only 185 tons of opium per year under the Taliban, according to the UN statistics, since the US-led invasion, drug production has surged to 3,400 tons annually. In 2007, the opium trade reached an estimated all-time production high of 8,200 tons. Afghan and western officials blame Washington and NATO for the change, saying that allies have "overlooked" the drug problem since invading the country 10 years ago.