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| Afghanistan/South Asia | ||
| G8 vows cash on Afghan drug fight | ||
| 2005-06-17 | ||
| "Significant" extra funds for fighting the Afghan drug trade have been pledged by the most industrialised nations, the UK home secretary has said. Charles Clarke announced the deal after G8 justice ministers met in Sheffield. But he admitted the British-led effort to counter drugs in Afghanistan, which produced 90% of the world's opium in 2004, had been disappointing. Despite the toppling of the Taleban regime, last year saw a near-record opium poppy harvest in Afghanistan. Mr Clarke said there had been "major problems", which he blamed on the need for more resources and the difficulty of ensuring money goes was channelled by an effective agency. He said the UK would continue its work on the issue. And he said he was confident Afghan President Hamid Karzai would be able to produce an answer alongside the G8 nations. Mr Clarke said the new agreement covered intensifying efforts on three fronts. "Firstly, more money - and everybody agreed that more resources were necessary," he said. "Countries committed around the table to the principle of putting more resources in." He refused to put a figure on the new funding but suggesting it was "significant".
Russia had been positive about work it could carry out on its border with Afghanistan.
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| Posted by:Steve White |