Afghanistan (Hansard, 14 October 2003)

§ 8. David Cairns (Greenock and Inverclyde)
What assessment he has made of the size of this year's poppy harvest in Afghanistan. [132005]

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Bill Rammell)
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has not yet published the results of its 2003 poppy cultivation survey in Afghanistan. However, we would expect the results to be broadly similar to last year, with a small increase in both production and cultivation likely. That is in line with expectations based on previous experience in Thailand and Pakistan and our own expectations. We want to do more, however, to engage the international community in countering narcotics in Afghanistan. To that end, we will be organising a major international conference in Kabul in early 2004.

§ David Cairns
I am grateful for my hon. Friend's answer and look forward to the publication of that report later this month. Does he agree that two things need to happen? First, there must be targeted assistance to Afghan farmers to wean them off this horrible crop, and secondly and more importantly—ISAF's mandate must now be extended beyond Kabul, which, as we have heard, is relatively secure, and out to the provinces and regions of Afghanistan, which is where the poppies are actually grown and where the will of the 12 warlords, not that of the international community, holds sway? We can only smash the trade once and for all if we do that.

§ Mr. Rammell
I thank my hon. Friend for that question and pay tribute to his long-standing work in this area. He is absolutely right that, as well as the other activities that we undertake, we need to pursue the matter of alternative livelihoods. If we are to persuade farmers in Afghanistan to move away from poppy production, they will need an alternative source of livelihood, so we need to work on that. I also agree with my hon. Friend about the security situation beyond Kabul. Clearly, the security situation has been better in Kabul, and yesterday's announcement at the Security Council, for which we pushed strongly, to extend 1SAF's remit beyond Kabul to the outlying regions is significant, and indicative of a step change in our efforts that will undoubtedly help to beef up our counter-narcotics activity.

§ Bob Spink (Castle Point)
What help will the Government give to neighbouring countries such as Kazakhstan to cut off the supply route of the drugs?

§ Mr. Rammell
The hon. Gentleman raises an interesting point because we have a 10-year strategy to eradicate poppy production in Afghanistan, but if that simply results in cultivation in other countries, we need to address that issue. The matter is being examined in great detail by the cross-departmental Whitehall international drugs taskforce. We are also committing significant funding to some neighbouring countries to help the effort.

§ Mrs. Jackie Lawrence (Preseli Pembrokeshire)
The Minister will be aware that one of the main drug smuggling routes is north through Osh in the Kyrgyz Republic. At the conference that he mentioned, will he discuss ways in which the UK could help the Kyrgyz Republic to tackle its border security problems and give advice, help, training and assistance with its communications system to help the Kyrgyz Government to close their border to drug smuggling, which inevitably has an impact on Europe and the UK?

§ Mr. Rammell
My hon. Friend raises a valid and interesting point. We clearly need not only to tackle poppy cultivation in Afghanistan but to consider carefully how drugs are taken abroad and what the trafficking routes are. Interdiction at border areas—the Kyrgyz Republic is a key area—is important and we need to do more to cut off those routes.