FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS TO BE LED BY NEW FEDERAL AGENCY

President Vladimir Putin has ordered the creation of the State
Anti-Drug Committee, an agency similar to already existing Anti-Terror
Committee which Putin praised during his recent televised interview.

On October 20 the Kremlin press center reported that the Russian
president had signed a decree ordering the creation of the new body to
fight drug addiction and trafficking. Putin appointed the head of the
Federal Anti-Drug Service, Viktor Cherkesov, the chairman of the new
law enforcement body. Under the decree, anti-drug commissions will be
set up in all Russian regions and be chaired by local governors.

The main objective of the initiative is to coordinate various
agencies' efforts in fighting the illegal drug trade as well as
improving Russia's cooperation with foreign countries about the
problem. As regional committees are headed by governors, the
resolutions adopted by them become orders for all state bodies in the
region, including all law enforcement agencies.

Previously, the coordination of such efforts was conducted by the
governmental anti-drug commission, but its resolutions were more of
recommendations. The decisions of the new body will be orders for all
state structures.

The organization looks very similar to the Federal Anti-Terror
Committee set up in February last year. This organization was created
to coordinate the fight against terrorism. The committee is headed by
the director of Russia's main anti-terrorist agency - the Federal
Security Service. The Anti-Terror committee also has subcommittees in
all Russian regions chaired by heads of regions.

The work of the Anti-Terrorist Committee was already praised by the
president in his "direct line" interview with the nation last week.
Putin said that the number of terrorist attacks decreased
significantly - from about 250 in 2005 to under 130 in 2006 and only
25 in 2007.

But unlike the Federal Security Service with its decades-long
experience in law enforcement and fighting terrorism, the Federal
Anti-Drug Service is a relatively young agency. It was formed in 2003
on the basis of the Federal Tax Police Service and the Anti-Drug
Directorate of the Interior Ministry, but hundreds of Interior
Ministry officers were not admitted to the new service over suspected
connections with the drug mafia. Thus, the new agency was manned and
directed by former tax policemen with little or no experience in the
drugs field.

Officials from the Federal Anti-Drug Service welcomed the creation of
the new body. The spokesman for the agency has told the press that the
service achieved some success in fighting trafficking, but this
success lacked stability. He also expressed hope that anti-drug
campaign in the country will start at a new level.

On the other hand, rights campaigners expressed doubts that the new
body will help to fight the situation with the illegal drug trade. Lev
Ponomarev, the executive director of the "For Human Rights!" movement
told The Moscow News that the new agency was an "absolutely dead
structure" and that the only result he was expecting was the rising
pressure on drug addicts and human rights activists.

In comments on the foundation of the new committee Russian newspapers
mentioned the open letter by Viktor Cherkesov published in the
Kommersant daily in which the official warned against the feud in the
country's security services. However, some note that the order was
signed closely after Cherkesov's letter was published, suggesting that
the move was planned well in advance.