Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan agree on Drug Fight Plan

13 June 2007: Vienna

Senior Afghan, Iranian and Pakistani officials agreed on Tuesday a joint crackdown on drug trafficking along their borders, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime which hosted their talks.

In a joint statement conveyed by the Vienna-based UNODC, security ministers from the three countries voiced determination to reduce the threat posed by Afghan opium, calling it a “transnational threat that requires a cooperative solution”.

UNODC director Antonio Maria Costa hailed the deal as a turning point in combating Afghanistan’s opium scourge.

The three nations agreed to construct more physical barriers along their borders, boost law enforcement capacity, launch joint counter-narcotic sweeps and increase intelligence-sharing about trafficking routes, traffickers and suspicious shipments.

They also agreed to stem the diversion and smuggling of precursor chemicals used to make drugs, locate and destroy drug labs, do more to tackle corruption fuelling the drug business and halt laundering of drug money.

Link: Daily Times