Afghanistan (Hansard, 19 October 2001)

§ Mr. Andrew Turner
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason Her Majesty's Government did not recognise the Taliban regime in Afghanistan between May 1997 and August 2001. [8515]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
HMG recognise states not governments or particular regimes. HMG recognise the State of Afghanistan. Like almost all other states in the world, the Government do not have normal government-to-government dealings with the Taliban.

§ Mr. Andrew Turner
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions between May 1997 and August 2001 he took advice on recognising the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. [8516]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
HMG has a policy of recognising states not governments. The Government recognises the State of Afghanistan. The nature of our relationship with the Taliban regime, with which we do not have government-to-government dealings, has been kept under regular review.

§ Mr. Paul Marsden
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimates he has of the quantities of heroin exported worldwide from areas controlled by(a) the Taliban Government of Afghanistan and (b) the Northern Alliance of Afghanistan in each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement. [8684]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
The size of Taliban and the Northern Alliance controlled areas has fluctuated in the last four years, making direct comparisons from year to year difficult. United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) surveys indicate that Taliban controlled areas of Afghanistan produced 2,592 tonnes of opium in 1998, 4,510 tonnes in 1993, 3,139 tonnes in 2000 and 21 tonnes in 2001. Northern Alliance controlled areas produced 108 tonnes of opium in 1998, 140 tonnes in 1999, 131 tonnes in 2000 and 164 tonnes in 2001. Some of this was exported as opium, some as processed morphine and heroin. The proportion exported as heroin appears to have risen over the last four years but the data available, based largely on seizures in Afghanistan's immediate neighbouring countries, is insufficient to provide a detailed breakdown.
An international inspection in April/May confirmed that opium poppy cultivation was effectively eliminated in Taliban controlled areas. Nevertheless, drug trafficking from those areas continued at a high level from stockpiles: the product of surplus product in previous years.