U.S., others neglecting drugs war d

[tinkyi@xxxxxxx]

Subject: U.S., others neglecting drugs war duties -Myanmar

U.S., others neglecting drugs war duties -Myanmar
04:20 a.m. Feb 19, 1999 Eastern
SINGAPORE, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Myanmar's Foreign Minister Win Aung accused
the United States and many European nations on Friday of neglecting their
role in battling drugs by boycotting an Interpol anti-narcotics meeting to
be held in Yangon.

``By not coming and participating in (the meeting) they are neglecting their
responsibilities...to humankind,'' Win Aung told Reuters in an interview.

``We are doing this not for the public relations, we are doing it with the
collaboration of Interpol to fight against the menace of the drug trade,''
he said.

The United States said last week it would not attend the meeting because it
believed Myanmar's military government might use the event to give a false
impression of its drug suppression efforts.

Britain, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway have joined the United
States in boycotting the conference, scheduled for February 23-26.

Australia, Austria, Brunei, China, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and Thailand, among others, have said
they will attend the meeting.

Many diplomats have been shocked by Interpol's choice of venue for the
conference as Myanmar is one of the world's leading producers of heroin.

Washington said Yangon's counter-narcotics efforts were improving but
remained ``far from what is necessary.''

Overseas officials working to stem a flood of drugs from Myanmar's
refineries have expressed doubts about the government's commitment to wiping
out the narcotics industry in the country.

Win Aung, in Singapore on a four-nation tour of Southeast Asia, said Myanmar
was serious about eradicating drugs and would destroy all poppy plantations
by 2014.

``We are seriously doing this, we have the political will to do that, we
have strong determination to do that. We are achieving this gradually,'' he
said.