Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09UNVIEVIENNA110
2009-03-17 15:22:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
UNVIE
Cable title:  

Vienna Adopts International Roadmap for Fighting Drugs

Tags:  PGOV KCRM UNODC EAID SNAR UN AF RU 
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VZCZCXRO1860
OO RUEHDBU RUEHKW
DE RUEHUNV #0110/01 0761522
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 171522Z MAR 09
FM USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9160
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1543
RUCNNAR/VIENNA NARCOTICS COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 UNVIE VIENNA 000110 

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958:N/A
TAGS: PGOV KCRM UNODC EAID SNAR UN AF RU

SUBJECT: Vienna Adopts International Roadmap for Fighting Drugs

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Summary
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 UNVIE VIENNA 000110

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958:N/A
TAGS: PGOV KCRM UNODC EAID SNAR UN AF RU

SUBJECT: Vienna Adopts International Roadmap for Fighting Drugs

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Summary
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1. (U) The high-level segment of United Nations Commission on
Narcotics Drugs (CND) met March 11 and 12 in Vienna to conclude the
review of the commitments emanating from the 1998 UNGA Special
Session (UNGASS) on international drug control. The Commission
adopted a Political Declaration and Action Plan on five broad
themes: demand reduction, supply reduction, chemical control and
amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS),money laundering and judicial
cooperation and eradication of illicit drug crops and alternative
development programs. This was the result of a year-long process of
intragovernmental meetings and working groups under the able
leadership of CND chair Namibia. Immediately after the adoption of
the consensus documents, Germany made a statement on behalf of 26
other "like-minded" countries to try and reinterpret the term
"related support services" as "harm reduction." This was opposed by
a number of countries including Colombia, Japan, Cuba, and Russia.
The U.S. took the high ground emphasizing the extensive cooperation
on drug control and underscoring that the documents say what they
mean. The high-level meeting also included a series of statements
by Member States and four round table meetings that will be
summarized in the final CND report. Overall, the High Level Segment
advanced our goal of projecting renewed American leadership in a
multilateral forum. End Summary

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High Level Participants
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2. (U) Member States, many of whom were represented by
cabinet/minister-level officials from the health and/or justice
ministries, focused their statements on changes over the decade and
best practices. Bolivia was represented by president Evo Morales
who called on the UN to "correct" the mistake of listing coca leaf
as a controlled substance in the 1961 UN Single convention on
narcotic drugs. He accompanied this statement by chewing a coca
leaf that he had brought for this purpose. The Queen of Sweden
attended the meetings to showcase the demand reduction work of a
non-governmental organization, the Mentor Foundation funded by the
World Health Organization (WHO).



3. (U) The U.S. Statement was delivered by interim Director of ONDCP
Edward Jurith. It highlighted President Obama's strong commitment
to a balanced approach to drug policy with a renewed emphasis on
demand reduction. This renewed approach includes a policy shift
endorsing needle and syringe exchange programs as a part of a
comprehensive approach to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDs among
intravenous drug users. His statement also highlighted scaling up
the integration of substance abuse services including screening,
early identification, intervention and treatment within health care
systems, as well as alternatives to incarceration such as drug
treatment courts and the use of anti-drug media messages was also
highlighted. The statement can be found at
http://viennausmission.gov.

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Broad support for the UN Conventions
and the 1998 UNGASS commitments
--------------


4. (U) Chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister from Namibia, the
high-level segment of the CND reviewed successes, limitations and
challenges, and "the way forward" in implementing the 1998 UNGASS
commitments in both demand reduction and supply reduction. While
almost every delegation reaffirmed the three UN drug control
conventions and the continuing relevance of the 1998 UNGASS
commitments, there was a wide-range of views of how successfully
Member States had implemented these commitments, or how much
progress has been made against the drug trade. The Czech Republic,
on behalf of the European Union, expressed three themes which were
repeated in many, but not all, of the statements by EU members: (1)
member states were not able to make much progress toward achieving
the 1998 goals because the action plan was too ambitious and lacked
a balanced approach, focusing more on supply reduction than on
demand reduction; (2) effective demand reduction policies should
include, along with treatment and care, "harm reduction" practices;
and (3) there is a need for more research data to clearly understand
the current drug problem, and to use that data to build
evidence-based policies with more realistic goals. Venezuela,
Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland all noted concern that there was
little progress in reducing demand or supply.


5. (U)In sharp contrast, the U.S., Colombia, Peru, Thailand, Russia,
Laos, Vietnam, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Sweden, Japan, China,
Ghana, Nigeria Pakistan, and others indicated there was substantial
progress over the past decade. The USDEL and others stressed that
implementing the conventions is critical to such progress. UNODC

UNVIE VIEN 00000110 002 OF 005


Director Costa in his speech pointed out that while there has been
progress, it is difficult to demonstrate prevention. He delivered a
firm rebuttal of calls for legalization.

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Coca yes, cocaine no
--------------


6. (U) Bolivian President Evo Morales, with a theatrical gesture of
chewing a coca leaf, made a rambling plea to "correct an error" in
the 1961 Single Convention that called for the elimination of coca
leaf chewing twenty-five years after entry into force of the
Convention. (Note: this provision applied only to countries which
reserved the right to temporarily permit coca leaf chewing. Since
Bolivia made no such reservation when it ratified the 1961
Convention, it was obliged to comply. End Note.) President Morales
highlighted that coca is not cocaine and that the coca leaf has a
long history of cultural use in Bolivia and Peru. He further noted
the need to find greater commercial uses for the coca leaf and
thanked the EU for their financial support to the Andean region and
to develop market uses of the coca leaf.

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Broad support for Greater Demand
Reduction; no consensus "harm reduction"
--------------


7. (U) A key theme that emerged over the two-day meeting was the
need for a broader and more comprehensive view of demand reduction
issues-a sharp contrast from a decade ago when the debate focused on
finding agreement on the divisive issues of producers and consumers
of illicit drugs. And, while the documents from the meeting were
later adopted by consensus, it was clear from national statements
that there was no consensus on demand reduction policy. The term
"harm reduction" was a lightening rod for divisiveness throughout
this meeting, as it had been throughout the year-long negotiations.
The EU statement made by the Czech Presidency highlighted the need
for greater emphasis on demand reduction programs that included
"harm reduction." However, there was no agreement within the EU on
the meaning of the term. The U.K. Member of Parliament and
Undersecretary Alan Campbell sought to define the term as the
provision of clean needles to injecting drug users. The Netherlands
indicated that injecting rooms and more lenient terms for drug users
should be included in national policies. Switzerland indicated that
crime and violence had been taken off the streets with its heroin
distribution program. Similarly the delegates from Germany, Norway,
Denmark, Portugal, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain made statements about
the need to include "harm reduction" policies.


8. (U) In sharp contrast, the Swedish minister for Health and Social
affairs encouraged Member States to have a balanced approach that
would include both demand and supply programs. She underscored that
demand reduction, not "harm reduction," should be the goal. She
urged Member States to seek greater funds to support programs in
prevention and to help drug addicts recover. Italy and the Holy See
also made strong interventions calling for more support for demand
reduction and for assisting chronic drug users, but rejecting the
term "harm reduction."


9. (U) While many of the Group of Latin American (GRULAC) countries,
including Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Venezuela, indicated
support for reducing the health and social consequences to drug
users, they emphasized the need for a greater focus on demand
reduction in the areas of prevention and treatment. Against this
backdrop, Colombia soundly rejected any use of the term "harm
reduction" and sought to focus the meeting back on the need to
develop sound policies to target drug use and help addicts recover.



10. (U) Meanwhile, a number of countries that spoke in favor of a
greater emphasis on demand reduction strongly opposed any references
to the term of "harm reduction," noting that there was no consensus
on the definition. Russia strongly opposed it, as did Japan. Many
African countries spoke out about the need for all nations to
implement the three drug conventions and opposed any references to
this term which they noted could mean legalization. Zambia said
that increasing prevalence of drug use was no argument for
legalization and noted how harmful drug use is to families and
communities. Zambia further implored Member States to increase
controls over drugs before they controlled Member States.

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Increased Security is Crucial
to Effective Drug Control
--------------


11. (U) Countries including France, Iran, Pakistan, and Oman
indicated concerns that the drug trade can threaten security and
stability of a country. Several countries, including Russia, France

UNVIE VIEN 00000110 003.2 OF 005


and U.K., gave statements highlighting the need for greater
governance and rule of law to combat the drug trade. Against this
backdrop, Viktor Ivanov, Russia's Director of Drug Control,
expressed concerns that opium cultivation had doubled in the last
decade, and had become concentrated in Afghanistan. He noted that
current efforts in the region are not working and called for a new
plan to increase cooperation against opium cultivation and
trafficking in the region and to improve assessment of the extent of
opium cultivation. The Russian delegate further indicated that
Russia is preparing a resolution for the General Assembly on a
special observer council, and called for a new approach to
Afghanistan. (Note: USDEL will seek to clarify this "new approach"
during the CND. End Note.) Pakistan noted that the drug trade
destroyed lives, and had a tremendous impact on national and
regional stability. He commented that Pakistan was able to make
inroads against opium, once the government was able to get into the
northwest area. The Pakistani delegate also highlighted the
importance of the Triangular Initiative among Afghanistan, Iran and
Pakistan.


12. (U) For its part, Colombia underscored the importance of rule of
law to target the drug trade and to provide effective controls of
drugs. He said that any efforts to legalize drug use or production
would sanction the crimes of the drug trade, including murder and
kidnapping. The Colombian Justice Minister indicated that
eradication was a cornerstone of Colombian efforts. Peru emphasized
key alternative development successes in areas that are now secure,
and where regional and local authorities are working together.
Mexico stressed growing crime and highlighted increased cooperation
with the United States under the Merida Initiative. Chile
highlighted the links between crime and drugs.

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Transit Trade Increasing
--------------


13. (U) A number of delegates raised concerns that trafficking
through their countries further undermines security. Burkino Faso
said that drug trafficking posed a significant danger and that drug
abuse is now rampant throughout the country. The Namibian Minister
for Public Health and Security also raised concerns about the
transit trade that was making inroads into his country. Kenya
indicated that the illicit transit trade has made Kenya a consumer
country with drug abuse and HIV/AIDS both on the rise. Iran
indicated the need to develop better regional coordination to target
heroin transiting the region. Pakistan reported that it is
virtually opium-free, but as a transit country it faces problems
controlling the flow of drugs and trade in precursor chemicals, and
seeks technical assistance, including equipment.

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Better Data needed to identify
problems and assess progress
--------------


14. (U) The U.K. indicated that to have any idea on the extent of
the problem, data must be improved. This point was further echoed
throughout the meeting by numerous delegates. Australia indicated
the need to establish some type of process to better assess progress
in the next decade. Venezuela and Argentina also noted the need for
better data collection efforts.

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Greater assistance needed
--------------


15. (U) A number of countries used the high-level meeting to request
additional assistance and to focus on the need to support the
millennium development goals, including the elimination of poverty.
Cuba commented that industrialized countries need to provide
resources. Nigeria highlighted concerns about vulnerable nations
and those in poverty being drawn into the drug trade. He also noted
the remarkable progress that had been made over the decade, but
noted that further efforts would require greater contributions from
key consuming nations. Pakistan called on all Member States to
increase their technical assistance. Peru noted that its Amazon
region, an area three times the size of Germany, is particularly
vulnerable. Illicit drug cultivation has damaged the eco-system
and, because of extreme poverty in the region, farmers will return
to illicit cultivation of drug crops. Ghana expressed appreciation
to the U.S. and EU for their support. Thailand offered to share its
best practices in alternative development.

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Political Declaration and Action Plan
Adopted by Consensus
--------------

16.(SBU) Until the final moments of adoption of the documents, the

UNVIE VIEN 00000110 004 OF 005


USDEL was facing an EU push to incorporate the term "harm
reduction," and allegations from NGO's and a few delegations that
the U.S. was executing outdated instructions. The U.S. policy
change in the last few weeks of negotiations to embrace "needle
exchange" and medication assisted therapy (MAT) while eschewing the
term "harm reduction," left the U.S. in the middle of a sharp debate
between European countries advocating "harm reduction" and countries
such as Japan, Russia, Colombia and Iran that opposed the term. The
negotiations concluded March 12. The USDEL supported referencing a
UN HIV/AIDS technical guide document which includes needle exchange
and MAT as part of a treatment program. USDEL succeeded in
excluding the term "harm reduction" in the concluding documents. In
contrast to previous years, this year's documents focus on both
supply reduction (eradication, interdiction) and demand reduction
and treatment services. In the past, the focus had been largely on
supply reduction.


17. (U) Thanks largely to the new U.S. approach on needle exchange,
the EU was split, with Germany, the U.K. Netherlands persistently
pressing for "harm reduction," whereas Sweden, France and Italy were
opposed. The parliamentary maneuvers at the negotiations'
conclusion, however, shifted public focus away from the relatively
positive outcome for the talks.

--------------
But Some Euros Express Regret
--------------


18. (U) Immediately after the adoption of the documents, a group of
like-minded countries, led by Germany, delivered a statement that
they would interpret "related support services," a term embedded
within the document, to mean "harm reduction." This set off a round
of interventions from Colombia, Russia, Cuba, and Japan, among
others, objecting to the German move for both parliamentary and
substantive reasons. USDEL head INL Assistant Secretary David
Johnson delivered a statement for the United States (text attached)
which aimed at the high road, focusing on the consensus agreement
and restating that the documents meant what they actually said. In
this way the USDEL was able to avoid leaving Colombia--a close ally
on these issues the past ten months--exposed, but avoided making
this a U.S. vs. Europe issue. (Note: The German and Swiss
delegates privately thanked the USDEL for this after the meeting.
End Note)

--------------
The Political Declaration
and Action Plan
--------------


19. (U) The USDEL succeeded in ensuring that the a political
declaration and 40 page action plan adopted by the high-level
commission underscored strong support for the three drug control
conventions and reaffirmed the 1998 commitments and projected a
message of U.S. support for UN institutions. Additionally the
documents highlight the need for comprehensive evidence-based demand
reduction programs. They also include extensive recommendations for
Member States to scale-up programs in prevention, treatment, and
support services. Recommendations in supply reduction include focus
on new areas such as the need for security, governance and rule of
law to promote elimination of drug trafficking and illicit
cultivation. Also included are key commitments to advance chemical
control, target production of amphetamine-type stimulants, promote
judicial cooperation, counter money laundering, and other areas in
supply reduction. All the documents are available at www.unodc.org

--------------
A/S David Johnson Statement
--------------


20. (U) "Thank you Madame Chairwoman for giving me the floor and
thank you for your stewardship of these entire proceedings; it's
been quite extraordinary. I think that in this discussion we have
now entered into I would not want us to lose sight of the fact that
working together we have just accomplished a great deal. We've
adopted a document by consensus that breathes life into the treaties
and extends the work that we do into the future and shows that all
of us facing a global issue can work together and that we can come
up with a series of ideas that will help all of us to address a
scourge that we face at home and that we face abroad. And I think we
need to reflect upon that as we discuss this terminology issue. Now,
we've had many debates over the course of the past several weeks on
this issue that has been brought to the fore by our colleague from
Germany. I think we've all spoken our piece if you will and we came
to an agreement on a document by consensus. And I think as others in
the room have said - Colombia, Russian Federation, for example - the
document means what it says and in the way we have agreed to it by
consensus. Thank you Madame Chairperson."



UNVIE VIEN 00000110 005 OF 005


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