UN SAYS PEACE NEEDED TO WAGE FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

Peace is needed to eradicate drugs in Colombia, according to Klaus Nyholm,
head of the UN Drug Control Program in Colombia and Ecuador. In an
interview with the Cali El Pais, he said alternative programs to improve
the lives of farmers are more effective in the fight against drugs than
fumigation and repression of coca crops.

"The guerrillas here have what [others] in Central America do not have, a
way to finance themselves," Nyholm said. "It is no coincidence that in the
three countries where the greatest amount of illicit drugs are cultivated
in the world -- Colombia, Afghanistan and Burma [officially known as
Myanmar] -- there is also armed conflict."

Although the government's "Plan Colombia" allocates approximately $1
billion dollars to develop alternative programs for farmers, "I don't
believe it is possible to eradicate coca and poppy [plants] in Colombia in
a situation of armed conflict," Nyholm said. "For the final solution, peace
is needed." Nyholm said results will only be seen when there are real
negotiations for peace. "We have seen that the FARC [Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia rebels] has said, with great interest, that they want to
participate in projects of alternative development, but at the same time
they are financed with drugs," he said.

Nyholm called on developed countries to provide more assistance in the
fight against drugs. "The rich countries should help much more with their
experiences in preventing consumption, but also with economic resources in
the fight against production," he said