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RUSSIA WANTS ANTI-DRUG BELT TO BE CREATED AROUND AFGHANISTAN(Interfax News Agency Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)MOSCOW. April 21 (Interfax) - International measures to prevent the flow of illegal drugs from Afghanistan have failed and "an anti-drug security belt" should be created around the country, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said. "Despite all the measures that have been taken and the international presence in Afghanistan, 90% of the opium in the world still comes from Afghanistan," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak told an international conference in Moscow. Afghan drugs pose a tremendous problem for Russia, he said. "Not only are we a transit country for Afghan drugs, but a large proportion of these drugs stays within Russia," he said. Moscow will host a conference to discuss how to stop drugs being smuggled out of Afghanistan in summer 2006 with G8 members and other nations invited to attend, he said. |