AFGHAN HEROIN PRECURSOR CHEMICALS -- INSTRUCTION FOR

UNCLAS STATE 060219 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNSC SNAR PREL AF SUBJECT: AFGHAN HEROIN PRECURSOR CHEMICALS -- INSTRUCTION FOR FRENCH DRAFT RESOLUTION ¶1. The Department requests that USUN welcome the French draft resolution on chemical precursors of heroin in Afghanistan and express our appreciation to the French for their efforts to address this problem. USUN should support the text of the draft resolution provided by the French, as copied in paragraph 3, with minor edits to clarify that the resolution deals with chemical precursors of heroin, not chemical precursors writ large. ¶2. USUN should refer any subsequent substantive changes to the Department for guidance, and recall the Department's initial red lines, which the French have already taken into account, in considering the text at the expert level and in the Council: -- the resolution should call on further cooperation within the framework of existing UN drug control conventions and the International Narcotics Control Board, as reflected in OPs 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 12; -- any actions by the Secretary General to appoint additional experts to examine the issue should be done within existing resources, as reflected in OP 12. -- the Afghan government should support the resolution, as it has indicated in its support for the current draft. ¶3. Begin text: The Security Council, ¶1. Recalling its previous resolutions on Afghanistan, in particular its resolutions 1659 (2006),1776 (2007) and 1806 (2008),and the Statement of its President on 17 June 2003 (S/PRST/2003f7), ¶2. Reaffirming its resolutions 1267 (1999),1373 (2001) and 1735 (2006),and reiterating its support for international efforts to combat terrorism in accordance with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, ¶3. Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Afghanistan, ¶4. Reaffirming its continued support for the Government and people of Afghanistan as they rebuild their country, strengthen the foundations of sustainable peace and constitutional democracy and assume their rightful place in the community of nations, ¶5. Noting with concern the close connection between international terrorism and transnational organized crime, money laundering, trafficking in illicit drugs and illegal arms, and in this regard emphasizing the need to enhance coordination of efforts on national, subregional, regional and international levels in order to strengthen a global response to this serious challenge and threat to international security, ¶6. Reiterating its concern about the security situation in Afghanistan, in particular the continued violent and terrorist activities by the Taliban, Al-Qaida, illegal armed groups, criminals and those involved in the narcotics trade, and the links between illicit drugs trafficking and the insurgency, ¶7. Stressing once again the serious harm that the high level of opium cultivation, production and trafficking causes to the security, development and governance of Afghanistan as well as to the region and internationally, ¶8. Recognizing the efforts of neighboring countries to address the impact on the region of the production of illicit drugs in Afghanistan, including through interdiction activities, ¶9. Reiterating its support for the fight against illicit trafficking of drugs from and chemical precursors of heroin to Afghanistan, in neighboring countries and countries along trafficking routes, encouraging increased cooperation between those countries to strengthen anti-narcotics controls to curb the drug flow, including through border management cooperation, and expressing its support for the Paris Pact Initiative aimed at combating Afghan opiates trafficking, for the outcome of the Second Ministerial Conference organized in Moscow in June 2006, and for the meeting organized in Kabul in October 2007 in the framework of the Paris Pact Initiative, ¶10. Expressing its support to the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy and calling on the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, to accelerate its implementation, as discussed at the seventh meeting of the Joint Coordinating and Monitoring Board (JCMB) held in Tokyo in February 2008, ¶11. Recalling that achieving a sustained and significant reduction in the production and trafficking of narcotics with a view to eliminating the narcotics industry has been identified as a cross-cutting priority by the "Afghanistan Compact" adopted in London in 2006, which provides the framework for the partnership between the Afghan Government and the international community, as well as the Government of Afghanistan's National Drug Control Strategy, ¶12. Urging States that have not done so to consider ratifying or acceding to, and State parties to implement fully the multilateral treaties whose aim is to fight against the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, notably the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, as amended by the Protocol of 25 March 1972 and the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988 (the 1988 Convention),and underlining the importance for all States parties to these treaties to implement them fully in order to promote international stability, ¶13. Expressing utmost concern at the increase of illegal smuggling to and within Afghanistan of chemical precursors needed to produce heroin, in particular acetic anhydride, noting that most of the opium produced in Afghanistan is now processed in the country, and stressing the need to better implement the system of monitoring and notification of the international trade in chemical precursors of heroin established by the 1988 Convention so as to prevent the diversion from licit channels to illicit traffic of substances, ¶14. Recalling the Political Declaration adopted by the General Assembly at its twentieth special session, In which Member States decided to establish the year 2008 as a target date for States to eliminate or significantly reduce, inter alia, the diversion of precursors of heroin, ¶15. Acknowledging the role of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of the Economic and Social Council as the global coordinating body in international drug control, and welcoming its intention to consider the issue of precursors of heroin control as one of the central questions to be discussed during the high-level segment of the fifty-second session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, ¶16. Acknowledging the leading role played by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) in the implementation of the United Nations international drug control conventions and the international control of precursors of heroin, ¶17. Stressing the central role played by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in assisting Member States in the fight against illicit drugs, ¶1. Calls upon all Member States to increase international and regional cooperation in order to strengthen the monitoring of the international trade in chemical precursors of heroin, notably acetic anhydride, and to prevent attempts to divert the substances from licit international trade for illicit use in Afghanistan, ¶2. Urges all Member States, in particular Afghanistan, neighboring countries, all countries on the trafficking routes and producing countries to increase their cooperation with the INCB, notably by fully complying with the provisions of Article 12 of the 1986 Convention, in order to eliminate loopholes utilized by criminal organizations to divert acetic anhydride and other precursors of heroin from licit international trade; Strongly encourages Member States to regularly provide the INCB with estimates of their domestic, legitimate requirements for chemical precursors of heroin, in accordance with Resolution 49/3 from the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, ¶3. Urges all Member States to request, through the Secretary General, the systematic notification by exporters of all exports to their territories of chemical precursors of heroin, notably acetic anhydride, in accordance with provisions of Articfe 12, paragraph 10, of the 1988 Convention; also urges the Governments of all importing and exporting countries that have not yet done so to register with and utilize the online system for the exchange of pre-export notifications (PEN Online), ¶4. Calls upon all Member States, in particular producing countries, Afghanistan, neighbouring countries and all countries on the trafficking routes to adopt adequate national legislation, consistent With the requirements of relevant international conventions to which they are parties, where it has not yet been done, and to strengthen their national capacities in the areas of (i) regulation and monitoring of manufacture and trade of chemical precursors of heroin, with a view to controlling the final destination of such chemicals and (ii) specialized enforcement operations against the diversion of precursors of heroin, including for their detection and disposal in Afghanistan and the region, and for strengthening border controls; ¶5. Invites the international community to provide technical assistance and support in building national capacity in the fields referred to in Paragraph 4, to Afghanistan and, where appropriate, neighboring countries, including through voluntary contributions to the INCB and UNODC; stresses in particular the importance of training and equipping law enforcement agencies, including border police and custom officers, so as to allow them to deal efficiently with such tasks as detection, stockpiling, transportation and destruction of chemical precursors of heroin; and encourages Afghanistan and its neighbors to make full use of such assistance, ¶6. Reiterates its support for the Paris Pact Initiative aimed at facilitating counter narcotics cooperation and coordination amongst countries seriously affected by Afghan opiates trafficking, for the outcome of the Second Ministerial Conference on Drug Trafficking Routes from Afghanistan organized in Moscow in June 2006 (8//2006/598),and for other international and/or regional relevant initiatives, such as Project Cohesion. ¶7. Welcomes the launch, under the guidance of UNODC and the Project Cohesion Task Force, of the Targeted Anti-Trafficking Regional Communication, Expertise and Training (TARCET) initiative, targeting precursors used in the manufacture of heroin in Afghanistan, ¶8. Recognizes the legitimate need of industry to have access to precursors and its important role In preventing the diversion of precursors, and encourages all Member States, in particular Afghanistan's neighbors to develop partnerships With the private sector so as to prevent the diversion of precursors of heroin, ¶9. Looks forward to the outcome of the international conference in support of Afghanistan, which will be held in Paris on 12 June 2008, and encourages the participants to the Conference to makes concrete proposals on the ways to address the problem of diversion of chemical precursors of heroin for illicit use, in the wider framework of the discussions on the strengthening of counter-narcotics activities in the Afghanistan National Development Strategy and National Drug Control Strategy, ¶10. Encourages Member States to submit to the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) for inclusion on the Consolidated List names of individuals and entities participating in the financing or support of acts or activities of Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, and other individual, groups, undertakings and entities associated with them, using proceeds derived from the illicit cultivation, production, and trafficking of narcotic drugs produced in Afghanistan and their precursors, ¶11. Requests the Secretary General to report to the Security Council, no later than nine months from the date of adoption of this resolution, on the implementation of this resolution and to include in his report further recommendations on ways to strengthen regional and international cooperation to prevent the diversion and smuggling of chemical precursors of heroin to and within Afghanistan, and on further opportunities for Member States to support the Afghan Government in developing capacities to tackle precursors and trafficking, ¶12. Encourages the Secretary General to closely cooperate with UNODC, INCB in the preparation of the report requested in paragraph 10 of this resolution; also requests the Secretary General to appoint, within existing resources and in consultation with the aforementioned entities and the Security Council, a group of up to five independent experts mandated with providing assistance for the preparation of such report, ¶13. Expresses its intention to monitor closely the implementation of this resolution and to take further actions which may be required to this end, ¶14. Decides to remain seized of the matter. End Text RICE