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INTERPOL/BURMA [SYDNEY MORNING HER



Subject: INTERPOL/BURMA [SYDNEY MORNING  HERALD]



Special session of the UN General Assembly devoted to the fight against the
illicit production, sale, demand, traffic and distribution of narcotic drugs
and psychotropic substances and related activities
Speech by RE Kendall, Secretary-General of ICPO-INTERPOL
New York, 8 - 10 June 1998


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Drugs and society: INTERPOL Secretary-General's view 

The Drug Problem: facts and figures | FAQ on drug trafficking | Drug
smuggling attempt foiled


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Ten years have elapsed since we met in Vienna, Austria to finalise and adopt
the 1988 UN convention against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and
psychotropic substances. It was a major step forward in international
diplomacy and focused the attention of the entire world community on the
global plague of drug trafficking and abuse. Now, ten years later, it is
only fitting that we use this Special Session to take stock of what we have
accomplished since then, individually and collectively, in controlling this
scourge.

The organisation which I represent is an international inter-governmental
body, the main objective of which is to ensure and promote the widest
possible mutual assistance between all criminal police authorities, within
the limits of the laws existing in the different countries, and in the
spirit of the universal declaration of human rights. This year, INTERPOL is
marking the 75th year of providing such assistance to its member countries.

The organisation has assisted, from its inception, its member countries in
combating all aspects of international crime, but it is in its fight against
drug trafficking, however, that this organisation has played a leading role
and invested the greater part of its resources.

Realising that a modern communication system is essential for effective
international co-operation, INTERPOL has spent over 20 million US dollars
during the last ten years in ensuring that its 177 member countries have the
services at their disposal necessary to conduct investigations outside their
normal jurisdiction and across borders. This system allows for the
transmission of textual messages and also enables law enforcement services
to instantly transmit photographs and fingerprints essential in identifying

suspects and criminals operating internationally.

INTERPOL is perhaps the only international organisation which has the
capability of transmitting criminal information to the law enforcement
agencies of 177 countries in a rapid and secure way. Last year about two
million criminal messages were exchanged through the INTERPOL network about
50 per cent of which were related to drug offences. As a result of the
criminal information exchanged through the INTERPOL network thousands of
traffickers have been arrested and tonnes of illicit drugs have been seized.

In addition to communications, another requirement for successful
transnational organised crime investigations is intelligence. Only when
criminal intelligence is assembled in one place or one database and then
systematically analysed, can the relationships, hierarchy and membership of
organised criminal groups be identified and eventually immobilised. For
example, in a special operation conducted by the INTERPOL General
Secretariat over the past two years, a major trafficking organisation
operating in virtually every region of the world was unmasked and many of
its members arrested. The organisation specialised in smuggling drugs
through the international postal service. The method facilitated the
smuggling of hundreds of kilos of cocaine and heroin across the globe.
Through the systematic analysis of thousands of INTERPOL drugs records, the
General Secretariat identified several key members of the trafficking
organisation who were subsequently arrested.

In its efforts to provide an appropriate response to the drug problem,
INTERPOL has always attached great importance to the need for close
co-operation with other international and regional organisations concerned
by the same problem.

A special working relationship with the United Nations Economic and Social
Council's Commission on narcotic drugs was established in 1948; since then,
INTERPOL representatives have attended all its meetings as observers. This
special long-standing relationship was formally recognised on 22nd October
1996, when the UN General Assembly, through resolution 51/1, granted
observer status to INTERPOL.

In accordance with both the spirit and the letter of various resolutions,
there has been an unprecedented increase in the level of co-operation
between INTERPOL and the Economic and Social Council together with other
United Nations bodies.

Co-operation has also been developed along similar lines with other
international and regional bodies involved in fighting the drug problem,
including, for example, the World Customs Organization and the Council of
Europe.

I would like to say that although law enforcement is the raison d'être of
INTERPOL, we do not consider it as a panacea for all ills associated with
the drug problem.

The problem is too complex and needs to be addressed in social, medical and
educational terms as well as in terms of law enforcement, which brings me to
the subject of drug legalisation. Let me be perfectly clear, I am adamantly
opposed to any type of legalisation of drugs which would confer the status
of legitimacy to illicit drugs or their abuse. On the other hand, I am

entirely supportive of the notion of removing the abuse of drugs from the
penal realm in favour of other forms of regulation, such as
psycho-medical-social treatment. Such a multi-faceted approach is likely to
wean the drug users away from crime, disease and misery, ensure better
deployment of scarce resources, and give the law enforcement authorities a
reasonable chance to deal with the drug barons and their illicit activities. 

Many speakers have referred to 'commitment' and 'political will' over the
past three days. Whilst I am greatly encouraged by such statements, we in
law enforcement have noted that there is often a considerable delay in
translating words into effective policies and action programmes. There are
many examples which I could quote, such as the recommendations arising from
the Lyons meeting of the G7 group of nations concerning transnational crime.
Many have yet to be implemented. How many countries have signed and ratified
the 1988 UN Convention and still have not created the appropriate domestic
legislation? The Convention was adopted ten years ago, how long does it
take? There are police forces and customs units which are ill-equipped and
ill-trained and receive little or no pay. This is not a mark of efficiency;
it is an open invitation to corrupt practices. 

As the sole voice of law enforcement in this general assembly I call upon
all of the representatives of the nations of the world gathered here today
to act now and give law enforcement the support and resources it needs to
carry out its work effectively. The time for action is now. 

Let this be a new beginning. 


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Press release date: 12 June 1998