Russia's ambassador to NATO: Russia criticizes US, NATO over Afghan drugs

[1776Forever]

Russia criticizes US, NATO over Afghan drugs
By SLOBODAN LEKIC (AP) –
March 12, 2010

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h8WKqUEWMElRrc1PRSjQ_uC9EuCwD9ED4U400

BRUSSELS — Russia's envoy to NATO has sharply criticized the alliance's battle with drug trafficking in Afghanistan, saying it has led to a surge in heroin smuggling that is endangering Russia's national security.

In an interview late Thursday, Dmitry Rogozin also highlighted the lack of cohesion within NATO, saying Moscow is worried about declining public support in Europe for the war.

Russia "is losing 30,000 lives a year to the Afghan drug trade, and a million people are addicts," Rogozin said. "This is an undeclared war against our country."

"We are obviously very dissatisfied with the lack of attention from NATO and the United States to our complaints about this problem."

For years, the allies tried to eradicate poppy crops, but that resulted in a boost to the insurgency as impoverished poppy farmers joined the Taliban. U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal's new policy of trying to win the support of the population means that these farmers are now left alone, enabling them to tend crops that produce 90 percent of the world's heroin.

Last month, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said Afghanistan's cultivation of opium — the main ingredient in heroin — is unlikely to rise or fall dramatically in 2010, after a major drop over the last two years. But even during 2008 and 2009 Afghanistan was producing far more opium a year than the world consumes, the Vienna-based office said.

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U.S. Policy from June 27, 2009:

US Announces Shift In Afghanistan Drug Policy
NICOLE WINFIELD

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/27/us-announces-shift-in-afg_n_221826.html

TRIESTE, Italy — The U.S. is shifting its strategy against Afghanistan's drug trade, phasing out funding for opium eradication while boosting efforts to fight trafficking and promote alternate crops, the U.S. envoy for Afghanistan said Saturday.

The aim of the new policy: to deprive the Taliban of the tens of millions of dollars in drug revenues that are fueling its insurgency.

The U.S. envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, told the Associated Press that poppy eradication _ for years a cornerstone of U.S. and U.N. drug trafficking efforts in the country _ was not working and was only driving Afghan farmers into the hands of the Taliban.

"Eradication is a waste of money," Holbrooke said on the sidelines of a Group of Eight foreign ministers' meeting on Afghanistan, during which he briefed regional representatives on the new policy.

"It might destroy some acreage, but it didn't reduce the amount of money the Taliban got by one dollar. It just helped the Taliban. So we're going to phase out eradication," he said. The Afghan foreign minister also attended the G-8 meeting.

Eradication efforts were seen as inefficient because too little was being destroyed at too high a cost, U.N. drug chief Antonio Maria Costa told the AP.

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This is very important when it comes to International Relations and should be watched for updates.

[midnight]

1. I never considered this eradication war to be harmful to countries like

Russia. I had seen a special on the crop being used by farmers to support their families. I suppose when other elements want to use it under the blanket of illegality the price goes up by so do other unwanted behaviors.

[conspirator]

2. Russia should know that Drug dealing is part of the War loot. Just ask the CIA guys nt