DISCUSSIONS AT NOVEMBER 14 U.S.-EU TROIKA MEETING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 09 BRUSSELS 001879

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INL/FO, INL/PC, INL/AAE, INL/LP, EUR/ERA, L/LEI;
JUSTICE FOR CRIMINAL DIVISION, OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS
ONDCP FOR DIRECTOR, OSR, ODR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2016
TAGS: KCRM PGOV PREL SNAR EUN
SUBJECT: DISCUSSIONS AT NOVEMBER 14 U.S.-EU TROIKA MEETING
ON DRUG ISSUES DEMONSTRATE OVERALL TRANSATLANTIC
CONVERGENCE ON DRUG ISSUES

Classified By: INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
AFFAIRS (INL) COUNSELOR JAMES P. MCANULTY FOR REASONS
1.4 (B) AND (D)

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) Discussions at the November 14 U.S.-European Union
(EU) Troika meeting on Drug Issues confirmed U.S.-EU
convergence on most drug issues. Assistant Secretary of
State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL)
Affairs David Johnson led the inter-agency U.S. Delegation as
a sign of the importance that the U.S. attaches to continued
close cooperation and dialogue with EU officials on drug
developments and initiatives around the globe. Both sides
briefed on current drug consumption patterns in the U.S. and
Europe, with the U.S. noting progress in reducing drug
consumption among youth while the EU expressed concern over
stubbornly high numbers of drug associated deaths. Support
of the Central Asia Regional Information Coordination Center
remained a high priority for both the U.S. and the EU, with
both sides expressing hope for prompt entry into operations
of this center. Both delegations reported on some progress
in Afghanistan counter-drug and rule of law efforts, while
stressing the importance of support for capacity building
efforts in this critical drug-source and production country.
U.S. and EU officials agreed that they needed to take urgent
and sustained actions to bolster the ability of West African
nations to stem the flow of drugs from Latin America through
their region to Europe. The impending expulsion of the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from Bolivia presented
an immediate challenge that neither side viewed as
reversible. (SEPTEL reports on the Assistant Secretary's
discussions on Bolivia with Commission Deputy
Director-General for Relations with Asia and Latin America
Joao Aguiar Machado.) The U.S. provided an update on the
Merida Initiative which will provide major counter-drug and
security assistance funding to Mexico and Central America in
the near future. The main point of divergence at the Troika
discussions involved the EU's planned inclusion and
highlighting of the controversial "harm reduction" concept in
the Political Declaration and Annex Documents to be tabled at
an upcoming High-Level meeting of the 52nd session of the
Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna which will
review progess made since the UN General Assembly Special
Session (UNGASS) on drugs in 1998. Officials from both sides
agreed to follow-up discussions on this issue to attempt to
arrive at satisfactory wording. END SUMMARY.

--------------
U.S. AND EU DELEGATIONS
--------------


2. (U) U.S. and EU officials met November 14 in Brussels at
their semi-annual Troika meeting on drug issues. INL
Assistant Secretary (A/S) David Johnson led the U.S.
Delegation, which included Mission INL Counselor James P.
McAnulty, Mission DEA Assistant Regional Director (ARD)
Thomas A. Scarantino, INL Policy, Planning, and Coordination
(INL/PC) Deputy Director John Bargeron, INL Asia, Africa, and
Europe Programs (INL/AAE) Senior Advisor Elizabeth F.
Carroll, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
(ONDCP) Policy Officer Christine Kourtides, INL/PC Foreign
Affairs Officer Cassandra B. Stuart, and INL/AAE Foreign
Affairs Officer Joseph N. McBride. Judge Etienne Apaire,
President of the French Inter-Ministerial Mission for the
Fight Against Drugs and Drug Addiction (MILDT),and Laura
d'Arrigo, an official from the Department of Strategic
Affairs, Security, and Disarmament in the French Ministry of
External and European Relations, co-chaired the EU Delegation
as representatives of the French Presidency of the Council of
the EU. The EU Delegation also included European Commission
(EC) Drugs Coordination Head of Unit Carel Edwards,
Secretariat General of the Council (SGC) Justice and Home
Affairs (JHA) Head of Unit Johannes Vos, Commission Head of
Unit Andrew Standley, Commission Afghanistan Desk Officer

BRUSSELS 00001879 002 OF 009


Paul Turner, Commission Drugs Deputy Coordinator Ann Vanhout,
Commission Bolivia Desk Officer Nicola Murray, officials from
the European Police Office (EUROPOL) and the European
Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA),and
representatives from 17 or more EU Member States, including
Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
The Czech Republic will assume the Presidency of the Council
of the EU on January 1, 2009.

--------------
PREVIEW OF BUDGET AND DRUG STRATEGY
--------------


3. (U) ONDCP Officer Kourtides provided an overview of drug
consumption trends in the U.S. as well as a preview of the
2009 U.S. National Drug Control Strategy. She noted
significant, measurable progress since 2001 in reducing drug
consumption among youth in the United States, including
declines of 24 percent in overall drug use, 25 percent in
marijuana use, 54 percent in MDMA (ecstasy) use, 60 percent
in LSD use, 33 percent in steroid use, and 64 percent in
methamphetamine use. U.S. work place testing also
demonstrated a major decline in cocaine use, which dropped 19
percent. Between 2006 and 2007, cocaine prices also
increased by 21 percent and purity dropped by 9 percent
overall. Authorities in both Colombia and exico played key
roles in reducing the amountof cocaine reaching U.S.
territory. The main exception to these positive trends
involved increased non-medical use of prescription
medications. An estimated 7,000 persons become new,
non-authorized users of such drugs in the United States, with
many of these abusers gaining access to such substances from
friends or relatives.


4. (U) The President has requested 14.1 billion dollars for
the next U.S. counter-drug budget in support of the U.S.
National Drug Control Strategy, with amounts allocated in a
balanced way among prevention, treatment, and interdiction
efforts. The incoming President will submit his first
fully-new counter-drug budget in early 2010. Nevertheless,
continuity will probably continue among the three major U.S.
anti-drug "pillars" -- namely, (1) stopping initiation of
drug use, (2) reducing drug abuse and addiction, and (3)
disrupting the supply of drugs to the U.S. market. A/S
Johnson noted that the initial 2009 drug budget submitted in
January, as required by law, involved estimates that the new
President could later revise in March. The Assistant
Secretary noted that the 1.8 billion dollars identified for
international initiatives actually understated overall U.S.
expenditures, as this figure did not include all U.S.
Department of Defense allocations for counter-drug support.
A/S Johnson singled out abuse of prescription medications as
a concern that all developed countries, not just the United
States, should address forcefully.


--------------
EU DRUG CONSUMPTION
--------------


5. (U) Commission Head of Unit Edwards noted that the
current, four-year EU Drugs Action Plan would end this year.
The Commission planned to conduct an in-depth analysis of the
results. Nonetheless, Edwards expressed concern that the
Commission would encounter difficulty measuring success of
drug policies, particularly in drawing causal links between
public policy and public health results. In general, he
noted that the latest statistics had shown neither a major
decline nor a significant increase in overall drug use within
the European Union. That said, some statistics showed
continuing areas of concern, particularly as some Member
States witnessed an increase in use of cocaine. Nonetheless,
he remarked that the 27 sovereign states making up the EU had
developed a clear convergence of anti-drug policies --
favoring a "balanced" approach that focused not only on

BRUSSELS 00001879 003 OF 009


supply reduction but on "reducing harm to society and
individuals" caused by drug use. Edwards explained that the
EU counter-drug budget for 2006 to 2011 amounted to over 600
million euros. He suggested the need to increase the
effectiveness of EU public awareness programs, as the current
programs did not appear to capture the public's attention.
In many Member States, Edwards explained, a "civil
disobedience" gap appeared to exist between what is required
by law and what is demonstrated by behavior in the abuse of
drugs.


6. (U) The EMCDDA Representative briefed on drug consumption
trends within the EU and associated countries. Per the
just-released annual EMCDDA report, use of opioids remained a
serious concern in the EU, with many opioids coming from
Afghanistan through the Balkan countries and Turkey to the
EU. The report, which covers the 27 EU Member States plus
three additional countries, noted 1.3 to 1.7 million users of
opioids. Drug-related deaths remained a major concern.
Between 2003 and 2004, such deaths had risen again within the
EU after witnessing temporary declines after 2000. Overdose
deaths often involved a "cocktail" of drugs, making it
difficult to link certain fatalities to specific drugs,
particularly cocaine. He said 600,000 opioid users were
undergoing drug treatment, with the average age of this
population steadily rising. Cannabis remained the most
abused drug within the EU, followed by stimulants. Abuse of
amphetamines and ecstasy had stabilized or even declined,
while use of cocaine was increasing, with an average of 2.3
percent of the overall population using cocaine. Drug abuse
levels varied among Member States, with the highest incidence
occurring in the United Kingdom (5.4 percent of the
population). Drug-related deaths in the EU had reached 500
in the last year. Seizures of cocaine have increased
significantly, particularly within the Iberian Peninsula,
with much of the cocaine flow transiting Africa from Latin
America. The EMCDDA Representative also expressed concern
over use of the Internet to purchase drugs, with authorities
identifying over 100 controlled substances for sale via the
Internet. In summary, he reiterated concern over stubbornly
high rates of drug-related deaths and over increased use of
opioids and stimulants among EU users.

--------------
DRUG TRAFFICKING TRENDS
--------------


7. (U) EUROPOL Head of Unit Robert Hauschild briefed
participants on drug trafficking trends and on analytical
efforts by his organization. EUROPOL identified Southwest
Asia as the main source of heroin within the EU, South
America as the main source of cocaine, and the EU itself as
the main source of synthetic drugs. EUROPOL officials have
opened Analytical Work Files (AWFs) devoted to analysis of
these drug trends, including a study on heroin trafficking
organizations and organized crime groups in Turkey, an
analysis of criminal organizations in Latin America, and a
description of criminal organizations smuggling synthetic
drugs. He noted that analysts can learn and extrapolate from
recent drug trends in the United States, as cocaine sales
have declined in the U.S. while rising in Europe. In
cooperation with U.S. authorities, EU officials in various
Member States have helped to curb production of synthetic
drugs, particularly in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany,
which exported large quantities of synthetics during the
nineties. Recently, EUROPOL analysts have provided
"operational and technical support" for the dismantling of
drug laboratories, including most recently in Iceland (a
non-EU country that cooperates closely with the EU). They
have also identified manufacturers and distributors of
specialized equipment used in the production of synthetics,
but increased use of sophisticated "mobile unit" laboratories
has hindered detection and enforcement efforts.


8. (U) A/S Johnson noted that U.S. authorities had increased
the reliability of drug-use statistics by developing more
accurate indicators through greater involvement of U.S.

BRUSSELS 00001879 004 OF 009


citizens. Such indicators have shown that effective use of
taxpayer funds in counter-drug efforts can produce changes in
behavior among citizens. That said, authorities had missed
initial trends involving methamphetamine use. Now,
authorities have have "gotten ahead of the curve" in
addressing this problem, with local U.S. initiatives, efforts
by local police, and the help of Mexican authorities in
changing the formulae for cold medicines in Mexico away from
amphetamines.

--------------
AFGHANISTAN
--------------


9. (C) The A/S described the drug situation in Afghanistan as
"very difficult." Drug trafficking fuels corruption and
threatens the effectiveness of international assistance
programs. Drugs represent the largest uncontrolled source of
funds in Afghanistan and could erode all our efforts there.
Poppy production and drug trafficking had become
"inextricably linked" to levels of insecurity. On the
positive side, the number of provinces free of poppy
cultivation increased to 18 provinces, out of 34. Another
nine provinces had less than 600 hectares of cultivation.
Even the province of Nangahar went from being the second
largest producer province to being virtually free of poppy
cultivation. International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
and U.S. support for local governors and authorities made a
key difference. Now, poppy cultivation is concentrated in
the non-secure southern provinces. If Helmand were
considered an independent state, it would be the largest
producer of opium in the world.


10. (C) A public awareness program in Afghanistan began in
the fall for this planting season, and ground-based
eradication operations should begin after January 1. The
eradication program can work, and the key will be the ability
of the Afghan National Army to provide force protection to
the eradication units. Such force protection units are
completing their training in Kabul and will re-deploy to
provinces soon. The A/S urged greater support for the Good
Performers Initiative (GPI),in which the U.S. and United
Kingdom have invested some 30 million dollars. He cited the
GPI as one of the most valuable programs, which links funding
for development projects to good behavior. Such positive
conditionality, for example, has resulted in faster
turn-around of funding to establish hospitals and orchards in
the improved regions. He urged EU Member States and the
Commission to contribute additional funds to the GPI.


11. (C) D'Arrigo of the French Presidency of the Council
agreed with the U.S. analysis of the drug threat. While the
drought may have contributed to lesser poppy cultivation in
the north and northeast, lack of security is clearly linked
to drug trafficking. She also raised cannabis production as
a threat. Farmers in poppy-free provinces may be tempted to
cultivate cannabis. The international community must also
focus on supporting the Afghan Government through follow-up
to pledges at the June 12 Donors Conference in Paris as well
as support for the judicial system, which is hampered by
corruption and in need of reconstruction.


12. (C) Commission Afghan Desk Officer Turner noted EU
support for alternative livelihoods in Nangahar. The
Commission has tried to attack the sequence of drug
production and trafficking at various levels and has sought
to strengthen border controls. An estimated 20 percent of
heroin production goes to Central Asia. A major factor will
be the sustainability of programs promoting good governance.
Turner commended cooperation with Provincial Reconstruction
Teams (PRTs) and the U.S. Agency for International
Development (AID). Increases in food prices in certain areas
have made cultivating wheat almost as profitable as growing
opium poppy. He welcomed the appointment of a new Minister
of Interior. Turner remarked that the Commission had
contributed 15 million euros to the Counter-Narcotics Trust
Fund (CNTF) and that this money could be used in the GPI. He

BRUSSELS 00001879 005 OF 009


reported that staffing for the European Police Mission in
Afghanistan (EUPOL) would double to 400. The EU has
appointed a new EUPOL Head of Mission, he said, and trends
seemed to be moving in the right direction.



13. (C) In response to a question from Turner, A/S Johnson
said prospects for Afghan prosecution of top-level drug
offenders may be low during the next calendar year.
Prosecutors will eventually use domestic legislation to
prosecute more senior traffickers. In the meantime, some
high-level traffickers have undergone prosecution in the
United States, with the latest offender receiving a prison
sentence of 12 years. Given the serious impact of Afghan
opium production on European markets, A/S Johnson encouraged
EU Member States to initiate selected prosecutions of
high-level traffickers. After all, he reminded
interlocutors, the EU was now losing more citizens from
heroin overdoes than from fighting on the battlefield,
according to the latest statistics.


14. (C) A/S Johnson encouraged all international partners to
help build crime-fighting capacities in Afghanistan. He
agreed that appointment of the new Minister of Interior
appeared to be a positive development. Yet capabilities
needed to be built from the bottom up, with prosecutors
developing solid cases for prosecution. Describing the CNTF
as "dysfunctional" and hindered by slow feedback and
decision-making processes, A/S Johnson encouraged the
Commission and Member States to consider direct contributions
to the GPI. The international community needed to make the
time between funding decisions and disbursements as short as
possible. There was no real correlation between poverty and
poppy cultivation, as infrastructure was in place to allow
farmers to switch to licit crops. A/S Johnson expressed
gratitude for EUPOL involvement. He observed that civilian
police trainers desperately needed a "cocoon" of military
protection for their activities, expressing hope that
additional military forces would be able to provide such
protection after consulting with national governments. He
acknowledged that the U.S. military was stretched thin as
well. The reality is that military forces cannot provide
sufficient force protection for all trainers that could be
deployed in the country. Yet, focused district development
re-training and follow-up mentoring after deployment would be
critical factors in building rule of law capabilities in
Afghanistan.


15. (C) On eradication, A/S Johnson clarified that the goal
was not the eradication of opium crops but rather the
prevention of planting such crops in the first place and
their being processed into drugs thereafter. In the past
year, the Afghan poppy eradication force did not receive the
level of force protection promised by the Afghan National
Army. As a result, only a small number of poppy fields
actually underwent eradication. With help from the UK and
other partners, Afghan units will target specific, high-value
fields owned by major traffickers, under the assumption that,
if eradication reached at least 20 percent of the fields,
farmers will be persuaded to switch to licit crops during the
next planting season.

-------------- --------------
CENTRAL ASIA REGIONAL INFORMATION COORDINATION CENTER
-------------- --------------

16, (U) D'Arrigo noted that the French government had
confirmed its commitment to Central Asia during the
EU-Central Asia Forum convened in Paris September 18 at the
Foreign Ministers' level. Similarly, France participated in
the Dushanbe Conference on Border Management. EU officials
hoped to see the Central Asia Regional Information
Coordination Center (CARICC) operational soon. A/S Johnson
noted that the U.S. had contributed to CARICC through the
OSCE and UNODC. He expressed hope that Russia would complete
its ratification process for the CARICC agreement.


BRUSSELS 00001879 006 OF 009


--------------
DRUG TRENDS IN WEST AFRICA
--------------


17. (C) D'Arrigo remarked that West Africa had become an
"important crossroads" for cocaine entering the EU from Latin
America. Poverty, weak institutions, and corruption all
contributed to a bleak situation. France and several EU
Member States recently participated in a conference in Praia,
Cape Verde, at which participants discussed implementation of
regional assistance projects. Commission Head of Unit
Standley singled out West Africa as the region on the
continent most affected by drug trafficking. Officials
planned to use 520 million euros from various funding
mechanisms, including the Stability Instrument and the
Regional Development Program (EDA) to help with
capacity-building in Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and Ghana.
Officials from the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) had briefed participants on its Plan of Action at
the Praia conference.


18. (C) Expressing considerable concern about the drug
situation in West Africa, the Assistant Secretary observed
that police institutions in West Africa were incapable of
facing the oncoming flow of drugs from Latin America. Poor
behavior by the Venezuelan Government has vastly accelerated
the flow of cocaine to the region. Detection and monitoring
have revealed increased numbers of light aircraft flying
across the Atlantic with loads of cocaine. Even Mexican
traffickers have become increasingly involved. A/S Johnson
urged EU colleagues to increase their efforts in the region,
as the vast majority of cocaine reaching West Africa flowed
onward to Europe. Criminal organizations not only smuggled
drugs but also illegal migrants. He suggested naming of
Points of Contact on technical assistance to the region to
ensure that the most urgent priorities are met. Foreign
Affairs Officer McBride, who had just returned from the
conference in Praia, reported that U.S. officials had
recently completed in-depth assessments on Senegal and Ghana
and would be willing to share these assessments with EU
counterparts. A/S Johnson commended a regional approach,
recognizing that traffickers often changed their routes and
tactics in response to counter-drug successes in individual
countries.

--------------
DETERIORATING SITUATION IN BOLIVIA
--------------


19. (C) A/S Johnson commended a recent General Accounting
Office (GAO) report on the impact of counter-drug assistance
to Colombia as worthy of review. While the GAO analysis
noted that U.S. counter-drug assistance had not achieved the
initially sought-after fifty-percent reduction in coca
cultivation in Colombia, such assistance had significantly
suppressed drug trafficking and had helped Colombians to
transform their country into a vastly better place. He
described a much different scenario unfolding in neighboring
Bolivia, where the coca growers union had forced the
departure of AID personnel from the coca growing Chapare
region. Shortly thereafter, the Bolivian Government expelled
the U.S. Ambassador. Then, earlier this month, Bolivian
President Evo Morales ordered the expulsion of DEA personnel
from the country. The Assistant Secretary warned that the
international community faced an "extraordinary" situation in
Bolivia. At one time, the U.S. counter-drug assistance
program in Bolivia had been the largest in the world,
focusing almost exclusively on coca eradication and
alternative development. Now, Bolivian coca production has
surged, particularly through increases in "licit" production
of coca leaf. While the INL Bureau did not currently plan to
curtail its counter-drug assistance program there, future
decisions by the GOB were difficult to predict and INL would
remain vigilant. Virtually all cocaine produced in Bolivia
either went to domestic consumption or to users in Brazil,
Argentina, and Europe. A/S Johnson warned that a "growing
proportion of a growing amount" of cocaine produced in

BRUSSELS 00001879 007 OF 009


Bolivia would head to Europe. Overall, the picture was not a
pretty one, and such cocaine flows through Brazil and
Argentina would exert even greater pressure on unprepared
governments in West Africa.


20. (C) Mission DEA ARD Scarantino provided additional
details on the status of DEA in Bolivia. He noted that,
barring an unexpected reversal of the expulsion order, DEA
personnel planned to depart within the next two months.
Currently, DEA agents no longer had any relationship with GOB
counterparts. Sharing of intelligence on drug trafficking
organizations was curtailed within the past two months.
Neighboring countries appeared to be concerned by the
impending expulsion.


21. (C) A/S Johnson urged EU Member States with greater
influence in Bolivia to press for a reversal of the expulsion
order. President Morales' political origin as a coca grower
and his political base among the coca growers' union set him
on his current course, making any reasoning with him
difficult at best. A/S Johnson urged as well that the
Commission seek completion as soon as possible of the
Commission-supported study on uses of coca leaf. He also
warned against allowing the GOB to co-opt the study to
support expansion of uses of coca leaf to other commercial
purposes. Head of Unit Standley, who noted that he had
served as Delegation Head of Mission in Bolivia until one
year ago, remarked that the Commission had attempted to build
a constructive relationship with GOB counterparts. He
expressed "extreme concern" over current developments in
Bolivia, acknowledging that much of Bolivia's cocaine ended
up in Europe. He recalled that agreement to the study
occurred after he received strong support from the U.S.
Embassy at the time. The intent of the study has always been
to develop a sound empirical basis for quantifying
legitimate, traditional uses of coca leaf in Bolivia. He had
always been convinced that the results of the study would
"call the government's bluff" regarding the amount of coca
leaf required for traditional uses, including for chewing,
ingredients in teas, and use in religious ceremonies.


22. (C) Murray, the Commission's Bolivia Desk Officer, said
she shared U.S. concerns over the "very worrying," latest
developments in Bolivia. She remarked that U.S. counterparts
have had to put up with considerable abuse. Although she
indicated that the EU enjoyed "better" relations, its
relationship with Bolivia had increasingly become "quite
difficult." Commission colleagues were studying how to
approach the GOB regarding the expulsion decision. Even the
coca study has been slow in getting started, in spite of the
EU's continual prodding of GOB officials. Accordingly, she
predicted, the study would not likely be completed before the
end of 2009. Regarding Commission assistance to GOB economic
development projects, Standley repeated earlier assurances
that the financing agreement contained a provision
specifically "excluding" Commission support for
"industrialization of coca leaf."


23. (C) Asked about prospects for a "change of heart" by
President Morales, A/S Johnson responded that the U.S. was
not happy about the impending expulsion of DEA personnel and
that the U.S. had reached the "limits of its patience," not
wanting to "reward" GOB officials for "solving a crisis that
they themselves had created." Any solution would need to be
on the basis of "comity" and not on the basis of insults and
the willingness to ignore such insults. He lamented that one
of the most significant losses would be investment in human
capital in Bolivia. Without DEA presence, the integrity of
"vetted units" would erode quickly. If Bolivia were to expel
Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS) personnel as well, then
funding would be switched to other countries and programs.
He warned that, if such a development were to occur,
restarting a NAS program in Bolivia would require years to
accomplish.

--------------
CUBA AS A POTENTIAL TRANSIT COUNTRY

BRUSSELS 00001879 008 OF 009


--------------


24. (C) The EUROPOL representative signaled concern over the
impending lack of U.S. personnel to gain insights into drug
trafficking inside Bolivia. He inquired about cooperation
with Cuba, which he characterized as a "entry gate" for drugs
reaching Europe. A/S Johnson said Cuba had the potential,
vice current reality, to become a "huge aircraft carrier" for
the transit of cocaine to Europe, especially if the
relationship between Cuban and Venezuelan leaders were to
play a part in such a development. For now, the U.S had no
significant aviation relationship with Cuba -- only a few
charter flights. .


--------------
THE MERIDA INITIATIVE
--------------


25. (C) A/S Johnson reported that the Administration had
secured funding from Congress for 477 million dollars to be
expended during the first year of a multi-year security and
counter-drug assistance program to Mexico and Central
America. Of that amount, 440 million dollars would go to
projects in Mexico. He praised the administration of
President Felipe Calderon for taking "extraordinarily
difficult steps" against drug trafficking organizations in
Mexico. Notably, Mexican authorities invested four dollars
for every dollar that the U.S. invested in Mexico for
fighting drugs and crime. Officials from both governments
were finalizing details for disbursement of funds that would
help procure border inspection equipment and aviation assets,
including helicopters. Such assistance will have a direct
impact on the health and safety of U.S. citizens, given the
potential risk of spill-over of drug-related violence across
the border.

-------------- --------------
ISSUE OF "HARM REDUCTION" AT UNGASS DELIBERATIONS
-------------- --------------


26. (C) The Assistant Secretary expressed hope that U.S. and
EU officials could work together to promote drug policies
based on solid evidence and a balanced approach between
demand and supply reduction. The U.S. would like to
formalize conclusions of UN General Assembly Special Session
(UNGASS) Working Groups in Vienna based on the many drug
positions that the U.S. and EU hold in common. Axel Kuechle
of Germany immediately raised "harm reduction," acknowledging
active and controversial discussions between EU and U.S.
delegations on this subject. He insisted that UNGASS include
"harm reduction" as an "essential element" of demand
reduction. He quoted UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa as asserting in a
recently published paper that demand reduction and harm
reduction policies "complemented" each other. He lamented
the existence of multiple proposals -- including one from the
Mexican delegation and two counterproposals from Germany and
Egypt.


27. (C) A/S Johnson replied that the U.S. welcomed
discussions with the EU in any context. He suggested that
delegations attempt to improve an existing document rather
than working from texts of new documents to arrive at a
satisfactory document, preferably before the High Level
meeting in March. Noting that the phrase "harm reduction"
meant many things to many people, including many negative
connotations, the Assistant Secretary suggested encapsulating
positive aspects of this concept into the document without
using this "unhelpful formulation." Otherwise, continued
pursuit of this catch-phrase would cause delegations to "run
into a brick wall." Noting that the U.S. and the EU "saw eye
to eye" on so many drug policies and objectives, he expressed
hope that our delegations would try to "get to the right
place" in our UNGASS discussions.


28. (C) D'Arrigo said the French Presidency of the Council

BRUSSELS 00001879 009 OF 009


shared this view, acknowledging that the U.S. and the EU "can
be very effective, when we work together." She remarked that
both sides demonstrated much solidarity and considerably
"more convergence than divergence" on drug issues. Pavel
Vaceck of the incoming Czech Presidency of the Council,
remarking that he had previously served as a chairperson at a
Commission on Narcotics Drugs session, indicated support for
the German views on "harm reduction" and underscored his
belief that such practices were not intended to facilitate
drug abuse. He said he too hoped that both sides could reach
a compromise on this issue.

--------------
NEXT TROIKA MEETING ON DRUG ISSUES
--------------


29. (U) Vacek of the Czech Republic proposed that the next
U.S.-EU Troika meeting on Drug Issues occur in Brussels on or
around June 26 under the next Presidency of the Council.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


30. (C) Discussions at the semi-annual Troika meeting
continued to show much more transatlantic agreement than
disagreement on drug issues, particularly on drug trends and
priorities for addressing drug threats around the globe. The
prime area of difference involved the EU's proposed inclusion
and highlighting of the "harm reduction" concept in the
Political Declaration and Annex that will be tabled at the
upcoming High-Level Session of the UN CND in Vienna as part
of the ten-year review of the Plan of Action on Drugs
approved by the UNGASS in 1998. For the first time in many
years, an Assistant Secretary of State had chaired the U.S.
Delegation to this meeting. Head of Unit Vos, a
well-respected, 31-year veteran of the Council Secretariat,
later remarked to INL Counselor that this Troika meeting had
been the best he had witnessed in many years. He singled out
the Assistant Secretary for the quality of his interventions
and his willingness to engage in constructive and productive
discussions on issues of importance to both the U.S. and the
EU. END COMMENT.


31. (U) The INL Bureau has cleared on this telegram.

MURRAY
.