INTERIOR MINISTER HOLDS COMMISSION MEETING ON DRUG CONTROL.

MOSCOW, December 30 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Interior Minister Sergei
Stepashin pointed on Wednesday to the need to step up efforts by power
bodies at all levels to prevent illegal trafficking of narcotics,
psychotropic substances and substances, used to produce narcotics.

The minister chaired a meeting of the government commission on drug
control and drug trafficking at the Government House.

The meeting examined information by the Public Health Ministry on
drawing up bills on social and medical rehabilitation of drug-addicted
people. In 1999, this document is to be submitted for the
consideration of the State Duma (Russian parliament lower house).

Besides, commission members discussed the state of affairs on drug
control in the Mordovia Republic and the Altai Territory, examined
the role of the mass media in stepping up drug-control publicity and
considered questions on more active international cooperation under
the U.N. programme for drug control.

On Tuesday, President Boris Yeltsin instructed the government to complete
the setting up of a federal extra-budgetary drug-trafficking fund. He also
instructed the government to take additional measures in this sphere: "to
draw and submit proposals to the Russian Federal Assembly (Eds: Russian
parliament) on amendments and addenda to legislation, regulating struggle
against drug
propagation, to conclude international treaties on extradition of people,
committing drug crimes, to draw up a programme of measures to prevent drug
addiction among minors and young people."

Stepashin also reported on Tuesday that the situation with drug addiction
continues to deteriorate in Russia: "The total number of drug-related crimes
reached 170,000. The number of crimes, committed by minors in this sphere,
rose by two percent."

Checked-by: Patrick Henry