Afghanistan calls for world aid in fight against drug problem

Afghanistan on Tuesday called for more international support for its efforts in fighting the drug problem as the anti-narcotics war is "beyond the limits of any single government."

Slamat Azimi, the minister of counter narcotics of Afghanistan, made the statement at the ongoing Special Session of the UN General Assembly on the World Drug Problem, which opened here Tuesday morning.

"It is obvious that fighting drugs and narcotics is beyond the limits of any single government; therefore, there is a need for extensive help from the international community," the Afghan minister said. "Without such support, narcotics can create massive problems not only for Afghanistan, but also for all countries around the globe."

"We believe that one big reason that caused the insecurity in Afghanistan is narcotic drugs and existence of precursor within the country," he said.

"Afghanistan has been the prime victim of the challenges arising from the ever expanding production and trafficking of narcotics," he said. "We are strongly committed to join the international community in combatting this global menace, which has undermined our achievements for a better future."

"Afghanistan has done its part at the national, regional, and at the international level to fight narcotics and illegal drugs, that become the main sources of income for terrorist activities in the country," he said.

The UN special session, a three-day event, kicked off at UN headquarters in New York with the adoption by the 193-member UN General Assembly of the new framework on countering the world drug problem, drafted last month in Vienna by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the UN's top policy-making body on the issue.

The document recognizes that to address and counter the world drug problem, appropriate emphasis should be placed on individuals, families, communities and society as a whole, with a view to promoting and protecting the health, safety and well-being of all humanity. Endit