TORCHING AFGHAN POPPY CROPS MAY NOT HALT DRUGS: EMERSON

OTTAWA -- Burning poppy crops in southern Afghanistan is not the way
to stem the tide of opium and heroin coming out of the war-ravaged
region, Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson said yesterday.

Speaking on CTV's Question Period, Emerson said the solution might be
to step up interdiction efforts at the processing and shipment levels
as illegal drugs make their way out of the country.

"We all agree with the fundamental need to deal with this problem and
I know Canada is prepared to step up and be part of a solution," he
said.

"Does it necessarily mean going out burning crops, or whatever the
latest technique is? I'm not sure about that."

Canada is facing increasing pressure from the United States to support
more determined poppy eradication efforts, specifically chemical
spraying from the air.

Behind the scenes the Americans have urged Afghan President Hamid
Karzai for the last two years to accept chemical spraying as a way to
reverse the bumper crops of opium-producing poppies.

Taliban militants use profits from the illegal drug to buy weapons and
explosives. A recent UN report estimated insurgents reap as much as
$100 million in profits from trade in illegal narcotics. Almost 90% of
all heroin comes from Afghan poppies.

Emerson says NATO is trying to win over the support of ordinary
Afghans, including farmers, and burning the crops of people who aren't
able to grow anything else won't make many friends.

Some U.S. critics disagree, saying it is wealthy landowners and even
corrupt government officials who are taking advantage of the poppy
trade.