U.S. DRUG CZAR VISITS AMSTERDAM

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands--U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey flew into the eye of
a self-made storm today as he arrived to study the permissive Dutch
narcotics policy he has already branded an "unmitigated disaster."

His harsh criticism of the Dutch policy prompted officials here to question
the value of his mission, which in effect pits America's zero-tolerance
approach to drugs with the laissez-faire Dutch policy.

From the corridors of Dutch government buildings where retaliatory
statements were issued, to funky coffee shops where hashish and marijuana
are sold over the counter, the retired four-star general has generated a buzz.

"It's easy to point the finger at others when you have a problem at home,"
said Anouke Scholten at Amsterdam's Coffeeshop 36, referring to U.S.
officials' long-fought battle against narcotics. "He (McCaffrey) has to
come to our coffee shop and look around. The atmosphere is good and there
is no violence," added Scholten. But there's no chance of that happening.

After arriving in Amsterdam, McCaffrey was hurled into a day packed with
activities. The plans ranged from presentations on the Netherlands' latest
state-funded heroin handout experiment to techniques used by customs
authorities in the world's largest port, Rotterdam, to intercept
international drug shipments.

McCaffrey was to see just about every aspect of the Dutch policy at work,
except a coffee shop -the officially tolerated cafes that sell hashish and
marijuana.

Although technically illegal, small amounts of soft drugs like hashish and
marijuana are ubiquitous in cafes. Hard drugs like cocaine and heroin also
are cheap and easily available. Law enforcement agencies claim it is better
to spend money trying to battle international drug smuggling than trying to
break up the street-level trade.

The U.S. drug czar's visit comes as two Dutch marines involved in
drug-interdiction in the Caribbean have been arrested for allegedly trying
to smuggle almost 800 pounds of cocaine to the Netherlands. A third marine
was questioned but released. Seven civilians and four military personnel
from the Netherlands Antilles also have been detained in the case. Some of
the drugs were found aboard a Dutch navy plane that patrols the Caribbean
for drug trafficking as part of the Netherlands Antilles coast guard.

As well as the "unmitigated disaster" comment, McCaffrey this week claimed
that the Dutch murder rate is twice as high as that in the United States
because of the tolerant Dutch drug policy.

The Dutch angrily publicized statistics refuting McCaffrey's claims and
stood by their often-criticized policy.

"We have our own policy and we think it works," said Health Ministry
spokesman Benno Bruggink. "We don't tell people that it is the one and only
solution."

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski