Tehran, March 22: Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar has called for more concerted international efforts to ward off threats posed by illegal drugs.
Speaking at the 54th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, Austria, Mohammad-Najjar said on Monday that despite international efforts the drug issue still persists and further ‘shared responsibility’ is needed to address the problem.
The Iranian interior minister also supported an international initiative to create proper mechanisms for international and regional cooperation and to improve ways of countering drug-related crimes, a Media correspondent reported on Monday.
He made a reference to Tehran’s efforts to fight drug-trafficking and noted, “We have taken good measures to reduce the demands [for narcotics] and prevent” the drug-trafficking, adding that the Iranian government has also boosted efforts “to raise public awareness” against the drug issue.
The 54th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna was launched, with the delegates debating over various aspects of the implementation of the drug control treaties.
All the delegations of the participating countries agreed that the demand for drugs is the fuel for its trade and stressed the need for greater commitments to tackle the problem.
Mohammad-Najjar also made a reference to the drug issue in Afghanistan and said despite foreign military presence in the country, the production of drugs have exacerbated.
He underlined the need for more efforts to fight the drug-trafficking in Iran’s eastern neighbor.
Afghanistan continues to account for 90 percent of the world’s illicit opium and heroin production, the UN drug monitoring body said in its 2010 report. According to UN statistics, Afghanistan produced only 185 tons of opium per year under the Taliban.
The poppy cultivation and drug trade in Afghanistan has cost Iran a heavy toll. More than 3,700 Iranian counter-narcotics officers have lost their lives in the anti-drug campaign.
With a 900-kilometer (560-mile) common border with Afghanistan, Iran has been used as the main conduit for smuggling Afghan narcotics to drug dealers in Europe.
Najjar previously said that Iran has spent more than $700 millions to seal its borders and prevent the transit of narcotics destined for European, Arab and Central Asian countries.
He also called on the United Nations and the European countries to support the anti-drugs measures by the Islamic Republic.
According to the UN, Iran ranks first among world countries in shutting down drug routes into its territory.
Iran accuses the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance and US-led forces of involvement in the flow of narcotics from Afghanistan to other parts of the world. Since the US-led invasion in 2001, drug production has increased to 3,400 tons annually, reports say.
——Agencies