AFGHANISTAN'S DRUG BOOM

The opium problem could undo everything that's being done to help the
Afghan people.

Afghanistan's presidential election this Saturday will be a key moment
in that country's history. For three years the international community
has been doing an outstanding job of stabilizing Afghanistan and
building a future for its people. During my recent trip there, I had
an opportunity to appreciate the essential role played by NATO's
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), currently under the
command of French Lt. Gen. Jean-Louis Py.

Yet despite the efforts of other nations and the reinforcement of
deployed forces as the election approaches, one issue is particularly
worthy of attention: the noticeable increase of narcotics production
since 2002 and its geographical expansion in Afghanistan. Altogether,
28 of the country's 32 provinces are apparently producing opium, and
employing more than 1.7 million people at this work. According to the
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, opium production in
Afghanistan in 2003 amounted to about 3,600 tons -- that is to say,
three-quarters of world production -- over 200,000 acres of cultivated
land. More then 90 percent of the heroin arriving in France comes from
Afghanistan. An even larger harvest is expected for this year as
traffickers stock up to protect themselves against a reaction from the
international community. Not only do these narcotics flood the global
drug market, with serious consequences for public health, particularly
in Europe, but their production is impeding Afghanistan's
stabilization. Warlords are taking advantage of trafficking, and they
are protecting it. The narcotics-related financial networks are fed by
particularly powerful underworld groups that undermine authority and
the rule of law.

"No-go" areas that foster crime are developing. At the same time, the
money generated by trafficking makes it possible to fund attacks by
the Taliban fighters still in the area. In fact, there is little doubt
that drug money is funding terrorist activities. And 10 percent of the
heroin produced in Central Asia is consumed locally, creating a public
health problem for Afghanistan that must be confronted rapidly.

The farming of poppies and drug trafficking in general are damaging
the area's economic development. And economic progress is a
prerequisite for reestablishing stability in the country. Confronted
with this situation, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has made drug
production and trafficking illegal. Last January his government
created a special force for counternarcotics efforts. Nonetheless, the
scale of the problem demands a sizable response that goes beyond local
resources and capabilities.

Like the international community, France is concerned about narcotics
and is willing to help. We will need to take advantage of the
post-election dynamics to act quickly and help Afghanistan combat this
problem. A first step will be to reinforce the training programs of
the Afghan police, to improve the judiciary system and to strengthen
the disarming, demobilizing and reintegrating process. A second will
be to encourage measures aimed at closing down and prohibiting
poppy-processing laboratories.

But this will not be enough. It will be necessary to establish an
international force, other than the ISAF, specifically tasked with
counternarcotics operations. And a third axis is necessary, one which
would support the development of substitute crops on a local basis.
There are many signs that production can be controlled if there is
efficient action on the main issue: the poverty of small farmers.
Traditional food crops (wheat, corn, etc.) can offer a viable
alternative. The U.N. World Food Program has offered to help
Afghanistan investigate new markets, such as nuts and grapes. Along
with new irrigation systems, several tree nurseries should be
renovated to meet the increasing demand for plants. All these
initiatives must be encouraged. Moreover, the international community
must promise that its members will purchase the crops.

At the same time, we must involve neighboring countries, taking into
account the cross-border aspect of the drug scourge.

The international community needs to operate cohesively and to display
a fierce determination to succeed. France is committed to help
Afghanistan in this political transition phase, beyond the election.
The involvement of our forces not only in the ISAF but also in
counterterrorism through Operation Enduring Freedom and in the
training of Afghan troops remains highly beneficial.

But I also believe that, in Afghanistan as elsewhere, counterterrorism
must be global, and this encompasses the links between narcotics,
money and terrorism. This is a war that must be fought on all fronts,
a war in which France will be involved without reservation.

The writer is France's minister of defense.