ABDULLAH: DONORS TO BLAME FOR CANNABIS CROPS

Agriculture Minister Ali Abdullah said on Friday that donor countries'
failure to support development projects in the Bekaa was responsible for
the return of cannabis to the area.

Abdullah told reporters in Hermel that illicit plants could not be
overlooked but that donor countries must assist the area as much as
possible until farmers find profitable alternative crops, adding that donor
states must not link their aid to Lebanon's political positions.

He urged continued efforts to provide Hermel with services, announcing that
a new secondary school would open in the area next week.

The Bekaa is returning to drug production on a grand scale since the
implementation of eradication programs 10 years ago.

Pledges of foreign aid to encourage alternative crop farming in the region
have not materialized.