Mr. Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost has been of the Afghan drugelimination programme. [117365]Mr. Mike O'Brien: Repeated internal conflict over the last 25 years, the collapse of legitimate economic activity and continuinginsecurity in many parts of Afghanistan have all contributed to the creation of the conditions in which drug cultivation andprocessing have flourished. The Afghan Transitional Administration has made clear its determination to eliminate drugs from theAfghan economy and society. The UK is determined to provide assistance to help Afghanistan achieve this objective. The UK hascommitted £70 million over the next three years for this purpose.However, sustainable reductions in the Afghan drugs trade will only be achieved as progress is made on broader development andsecurity. The UK is leading a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Mazar-e-Sharif and has pledged £200 million of developmentassistance over five years (2002-07). Since development assistance helps to create the conditions in which viable alternatives topoppy cultivation can emerge, the total cost of eliminating drugs cannot be clearly separated from these broader developmentprogrammes.