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Iran urges UN support in drug fighting

Iran’s Interior Minister says Tehran has paid a heavy price to prevent the transit of narcotics, urging the UN and Europe to support Tehran’s efforts.

Iran’s fight with drug trafficking has cost the country the lives of 3,700 of its forces, and Tehran has spent USD 700 million to block the borders and prevent the transit of narcotics to the European, Arab and Central Asian countries, Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said on Wednesday.

“Therefore, the United Nations and the European countries should support the Islamic Republic of Iran,” IRNA quoted Mohammad-Najjar as saying.

Referring to Iran’s readiness to offer its experiences in fighting drug production and trafficking to Afghanistan, Mohammad-Najjar said an office has been established in Tehran with the participation of both countries to carry bilateral efforts in this regard.

In December 2010, Iran and Afghanistan signed an agreement to increase mutual cooperation on drug fighting.

Afghanistan continues to account for 90 percent of the world’s illicit opium and heroin production, the UN drugs monitoring body said in its 2010 report.

The poppy production and drug business in Afghanistan has come at a heavy cost for Iran.

With a 900-kilometer (560-mile) common border with Afghanistan, Iran has been used as the main conduit for smuggling Afghan drugs to dealers in Europe.

According to UN statistics, Afghanistan produced only 185 tons of opium per year under the Taliban. Since the US-led invasion in 2001, drug production has increased to 3,400 tons annually.

The UN office said late last year that the 2009 potential gross export value of opium from Afghanistan stood at USD 2.8 billion.

“More than three million Afghans live in Iran, and the Islamic Republic has paid a heavy price for them during the past three decades,” Mohammad-Najjar said.

The Iranian minister also called on the UN to step up efforts to provide housing and create job opportunities so that Afghan citizens could return to their country.

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