HIDDEN DRUG MONEY

Sir: If the Prime Minister is to make the danger of drugs the centrepiece of
his Labour conference speech today (Tuesday), the experience of Lady
Flather, Lady Gardner of Parkes, Fraser Kemp MP, the Rev Martin Smyth MP and
myself as members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union delegation to Peru may be
pertinent.

Last Tuesday, the mayor of Iquitos told us: "Yes, Peru does still produce
more coca leaves than any other country in the world. But you saw our naval
vessels on the Amazon, whose operations are solely anti-drug related. You
saw the sniffer dogs examining every package at our airport, for drugs. But
we are like a man fighting with one hand tied behind his back so long as the
West does nothing about anonymous numbered bank accounts in Grand Cayman,
Luxembourg, Switzerland, and elsewhere."

Last Thursday during a 50-minute talk with us in the presidential palace in
Lima, President Alberto Fujimori told us: "One thing is for sure - the
serious drug money does not remain to help Peru, and I agree that the
problem of anonymous numbered bank accounts has to be tackled on a
world-wide scale."

We suggest that HMG forthwith obtain the full details of the Peruvian case
against the anonymity of numbered accounts from the authorities in Lima, and
from Roger Hart, the new British ambassador, who was present at our meetings.

Tam Dalyell, MP (Linlithgow, Lab) House of Commons London SW1