13462: Haitian Govt and National Policy for Fight against Drugs (Downey McGrath) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: MKarshan@aol.com

HAITIAN GOVERNMENT CONTINUES ITS PLANS TO ENFORCE BROAD NATIONAL POLICY FOR
FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

Prime Minister Neptune Calls for Substantial Measures to be Taken to Suppress
Drug Trafficking

PORT-AU-PRINCE (October 29, 2002) - At the recent opening of a four-day
seminar regarding the formation of a national plan to fight against illegal
drug trafficking throughout Haiti, Prime Minister Yvon Neptune reaffirmed the
Government's policy of adopting measures to significantly reduce the level of
drug trafficking in Haiti.

During the seminar, Prime Minister Neptune pledged the Government's
willingness to commit all available resources to the fight against drugs in
Haiti.  The Prime Minister outlined efforts already adopted by President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide's administration, including the adoption by Parliament
of laws relating to control and suppression of illegal drugs and money
laundering, the inclusion of Haiti in the Financial Action Task Force in the
Caribbean (GAFIC), the recent creation of the National Commission for the
Fight Against Illegal Drugs (CONALD), and the publication in the Government's
official journal of the ratified agreement between the United States and
Haiti on drug trafficking.

As the Prime Minister pointed out in his remarks, all of these undertakings
have been accomplished despite extremely limited resources available to the
Haitian Government, due largely in part to an international humanitarian
development assistance embargo imposed by the United States which has now
lasted more than two years.

"Haiti produces neither weapons nor illegal drugs," Prime Minister Neptune
said, indicating that if there are illegal drugs and weapons in circulation
in Haiti it is because the countries that produce these goods are channeling
them toward Haiti.

The Prime Minister explained that the fight against drug and arms trafficking
requires enormous financial, technical and logistical resources.  The Haitian
Government is looking forward to receiving $650,000 in assistance that has
been promised by the United States to assist in the war against drug
trafficking.

Hosted by CONALD and the Organization of American States' Inter-American
Commission for the Fight Against Drug Abuse (CICAD), the seminar brought
together various sectors of Haitian society and international experts to work
on the national plan to fight drugs in Haiti.  The seminar's participants
evaluated the current system of fighting drug trafficking in Haiti, examining
both projects currently underway as well as various resource allocation
issues.

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This material is distributed by Downey McGrath Group, Inc., on behalf of the
Government of Haiti.  Additional information is available at the Department
of Justice, Washington, DC.