US WANTS TO BRING COLOMBIA TACTICS TO AFGHAN DRUGS WAR

The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, is resisting American pressure to
authorise a major programme of crop spraying to eradicate the
country's massive opium crop amid warnings that it would lead to a
rise in support for the Taliban.

The plan has been strongly opposed by the British, who hold that it
will make the task of the military in Helmand, the province which
produces 50 per cent of the opium crop, much harder. Spraying from
the air, critics say, carries with it the danger of destroying other
crops, causing long-term ecological damage, and affecting the health
of livestock.

But according to senior Western and Afghan officials, the American
position has been significantly strengthened following the latest
poppy harvest, which shows a jump of 34 per cent from last year,
which was already a world record. America's determination has also
been sharpened with the evidence that Afghan opium, which now
accounts for 93 per cent of the world's supply, has started reaching
markets in the United States.

The recent appointment of a former US ambassador to Colombia as envoy
to Kabul is seen as the most overt move by Washington to ensure that
spraying takes place in Afghanistan. William Wood, who has acquired
the nickname "Chemical Bill" among British and other Nato officials
for his fervent belief in chemical spraying, was in the team which
implemented "Plan Colombia", which involved aerial spraying in the
Latin American state in an attempt to eliminate cocaine production.

The policy in Colombia came under severe criticism with claims that
it damaged legitimate crops and ultimately failed in its aims of
destroying the coca crop. However, during his confirmation hearing
before Congress, Mr Wood said the Colombian option may be repeated in
Afghanistan and General Peter Pace, chairman of the US joint chiefs
of staff, has also voiced the opinion that it could be a template for
Afghanistan. Members of the Colombian security forces are already
training Afghan police in counter-narcotics.

A recent meeting of the Afghan cabinet, according to senior
officials, came close to approving the use of spraying on a limited,
experimental basis. However President Karzai is said to have agreed
to delay the decision after impassioned pleas from the ministers of
Agriculture and Public Health. The issue remains immensely sensitive
and yesterday President Karzai's spokesman insisted: "Our view is
there should be a comprehensive policy to tackle the problem,
including the provision of alternative livelihoods. It was decided
that we will not start crop spraying. This was a unanimous decision
by the government."

Yet Ahmed Zia Massoud, one of Afghanistan's two vice-presidents, has
publicly declared his support for spraying. He said: "I have no doubt
that the efforts of Britain and the international community in
fighting the opium trade in Afghanistan are well-intentioned, and we
are grateful for their support. But that policy has not worked and
the time has come for us to adopt a more forceful approach.

"We must switch from ground-based eradication to aerial spraying. The
opium directly supports those who are killing Afghan and
international troops. Failure to achieve a substantial reduction in
the opium crop will be equivalent to supporting the Taliban."

A US diplomatic source said: "There is absolutely no evidence that
spraying causes harm to people or cattle. Everyone has seen the rise
in the poppy harvest, and obviously the current policy is not working."