§ Mr. Peter BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the anti-drugs assistance the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is planning to provide to Iran. [148038]
§ Mr. BattleMost of the heroin sold on Britain's streets originates in Afghanistan, the world's largest producer of opium. Iran is a key country on the heroin route from Afghanistan to Europe. We share an interest in co-operation against the drugs trade.
The Iranians make the world's largest seizures of opiates–253 tonnes in 1999. But it has been at a cost. Around 3,000 law enforcement officers have been killed in clashes with drug traffickers in the past 20 years. They deserve our help.
The FCO has recently agreed to provide £400,000 towards the UNDCP/Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran Combined Interdiction Unified Strategy (CIRUS) programme in Iran to assist with anti drugs work on their eastern border with Afghanistan and Iran.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office assistance is ring fenced specifically for the established and successful CIRUS project.