Tajikistan: CIS security chief says NATO reluctant to cooperate

ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
1 Mar 07

Dushanbe, 1 March: The secretary-general of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO), Nikolay Bordyuzha, has described the fight
against drug trafficking as one of the priorities in the activities of
the CSTO special services.

"I think our collaboration in counteracting drug trafficking from
Afghanistan is fairly successful and fruitful." Bordyuzha told the
press after talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov.

As an example he cited the carrying out last year of the "Kanal" joint
operation, during which "tonnes and tonnes of drugs and thousands of
firearms" were seized. In his words, "other countries, e.g. such as
India, Pakistan and Ukraine," take an active part in CSTO operations.

The CSTO includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and
Tajikistan.

Asked by an ITAR-TASS correspondent on cooperation with NATO forces in
Afghanistan, Bordyuzha said he regretted "the lack of such
cooperation".

"Having acknowledged the growing drug trafficking threat, we proposed
the alliance our own collaboration plan back in 2003, and have been
looking for a reply ever since," the CSTO secretary-general said.

He believes that "political motives are most likely behind, as a
matter of fact, the refusal to cooperate in the sphere of security and
combating drugs".

[Passage omitted: up to 800 t of heroin may be produced in Afghanistan
this year, according to UN estimates]