NEWS - Drug Producers Point Finger

[TheTruth@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

NOTE: If the U.S. refuese to supply money to countries that fail drug
enforcement certification, then why did the funel $3.8 million and Japan
another (approx) $600,000 throught the U.N. drug program for
Burma/Myanmar ???
  Also, are they aware, when they sprayed the poppy fields and others
before, the local (un-informed) inhabitants suffered very ill effects
from chemical pesticide exposure?
  The U.S. DEA and drug Czar Barry McCaffrey must be informed.
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Drug Producers Point Finger at U.S. and Its Drug Users

            AP
            09-JUN-98

            UNITED NATIONS (AP) Leaders
            from two of the world's major sources
            of narcotics told the U.N. drug
            conference Tuesday that programs to
            wipe out illicit crops will fail without
            money to help farmers grow
            alternative crops. 

            The United States has been
            noncommittal to a U.N. proposal
            under discussion at the three-day
            General Assembly special session
            on drugs to provide financial
            incentives to Third World farmers to
            stop growing cannabis, opium
            poppies and coca, the raw ingredient
            of cocaine. 

            President Ernesto Samper of
            Colombia told reporters that his
            country's experience showed that
            "forced eradication" will fail in the
            long term "if not accompanied by
            crop substitution programs." 

            "Once the field has been fumigated, if
            there is no program to offer the
            peasant crop substitution, he has no
            other choice but to resow coca,"
            Samper added. He said Colombian
            farmers can earn 10 times more
            growing coca instead of corn. 

            In a speech to the second day
            session, the interior minister of
            Myanmar, Col. Tin Hlaing, said lack
            of funds could be the "Achilles' heel
            for the plan" to eliminate" illicit
            narcotic crops during the coming 10
            years. 

            He said Myanmar, formerly known as
            Burma, "attaches great importance"
            to eradicating opium poppies but
            needs "sufficient funds on a
            sustained and predictable basis" for
            "alternative development projects." 

            Colombia is the world's leading
            producer of cocaine, and its
            traffickers bring home an estimated
            $5 billion a year from selling the drug
            in the United States. Myanmar is the
            world's largest source of illicit opium
            and heroin. 

            U.S. officials have shown little
            enthusiasm for the U.N. crop
            substitution program, apparently
            because funds could go to countries
            such as Afghanistan and Myanmar
            which have not been formally
            certified as a U.S. drug-fighting ally. 

            Afghanistan and Myanmar have been
            decertified. Countries that fail
            certification are denied aid, unless
            the president waives penalties in the
            national interest. 

            The United States waived the
            sanctions against Colombia last
            February, citing improved
            counternarcotics performance and
            Samper's departure from office in
            August. 

            Samper was viewed as an ally of
            drug lords based on a $6 million
            contribution he received during his
            1994 presidential campaign. 

            During his speech to the opening
            session Monday, President Clinton
            announced a $2 billion, five-year
            media campaign against drugs.
            Afterward, U.S. drug czar Barry
            McCaffrey criticized crop substitution
            programs for certain countries. 

            McCaffrey would not say whether the
            United States would support a global
            crop substitution program. "It's a
            problem for regional community
            solutions, not just funding for
            alternative economic development,"
            he said. 

            The United Nations conference ends
            Wednesday.