NATO ALLIES REJECT CALL TO CONFRONT DRUG LORDS

BUDAPEST, Hungary - A number of NATO countries are balking at the
United States' request that their troops in Afghanistan do more to
confront drug lords whose money helps bankroll the Taliban, Defense
Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday at a meeting of NATO defense ministers.

"It's been a good conversation; it's been a frank one. I think people
are listening to one another," Gates said.

Some of the NATO countries, including Germany, Italy and Spain, have
expressed concerns that a more aggressive counterdrug effort would
lead to a backlash against international troops.

The heroin industry pours an estimated $100 million into the Taliban
each year.