§ Norman LambTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the trends in(a) poppy cultivation and (b) the heroin trade in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement on its impact on the country's stability. [135847]
§ Mr. RammellI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today (UIN135856).
§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with(a) the UN, (b) international partners and (c) farmers in Afghanistan regarding the 816W measures which need to be taken to meet the target set in the 2002 Spending Review to contribute to the reduction of opium production in Afghanistan. [136536]
§ Mr. StrawWe are working closely with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to support the Afghan government in achieving its target of eliminating opium within 10 years. We also consult regularly with other key donors, as this is not something we can achieve on our own. We are organising an international conference, co-hosted with the Afghan Government and UNODC that will take place in Kabul in February 2004 with the aim of encouraging wider international community support. The UK also provided financial and human resources to the latest UNODC Farmers Intentions Study. This has helped us to ascertain the best methods of ensuring that Afghan farmers cease to grow opium poppy and pursue alternative livelihoods.
§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures his Department is taking to meet the target set in the 2002 Spending Review to contribute to the reduction of opium production in Afghanistan; and what estimate he has made of changes to the size of the opium harvest in Afghanistan in each of the next three years. [136537]
§ Mr. StrawThe Afghan Transitional Authority (ATA) adopted its National Drug Control Strategy on 19 May 2003. Its objective is to reduce opium poppy cultivation by 70 per cent. in five years and by 100 per cent. in 10 years. The UK is committed to helping the ATA achieve this objective and has prepared a balanced programme of counter-narcotics activity to support implementation of the Afghan strategy. We have committed £70 million over three years and additional personnel are currently being posted to Afghanistan. It is difficult to assess expected cultivation levels in each year but we do not expect progress to be linear. Experience of counter-narcotics policies in other countries, such as Thailand and Pakistan, shows that cultivation tends to increase before declining. Cultivation also tends to move from traditional areas to more marginal and inaccessible areas to protect crops against law enforcement activity. Progress in the initial years of assistance towards reducing opium levels will also be dependent upon wider improvements in security and governance.
§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on poppy production in Afghanistan. [136621]
§ Mr. RammellI refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 30 October 2003,Official Report, column 2OWS, regarding the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) survey results for the 2003 opium poppy crop in Afghanistan.