UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs to discuss drug threat large scale.

VIENNA, March 8 (Itar-Tass) -- The 53rd session of the UN Commission
on Narcotic Drugs, which will open here on Monday, is devoted to the large
scale of the threat, which the drugs pose to the health, development and
safety of all humankind. This authoritative world agency brings together
53 countries, including Russia.

Director of the Federal Service for
Control of Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Viktor Ivanov will head the
Russian delegation at the session.
"The lack of progress in the struggle with the drug threat, which went
on the excessive scale in the last few years is mainly caused by 'a
systemic failure' in the work of the world community, a failure in the
methodology of the approaches to the solution of this problem. Moreover,
currently this problem is still taken mistakenly as a certain 'add-on' to
the terrorism problem rather than an independent, real and extremely
serious threat to international peace and security, which demands urgent,
coordinated and decisive actions," Ivanov told Itar-Tass.
Speaking on the problem of drug trafficking from Afghanistan, Ivanov
recalled that thanks to the efforts of the world community almost all
opium poppy crops have been destroyed and the drug production had been
curbed by 2002, but after the notorious tragic events on September 11,
2001, the priorities in the approaches of the world community to the
problems in this country have changed. For the last ten years Afghan
opiates claimed about one million people and ruined the fates of 16
million people.
"The resolute struggle with the Afghan drug threat cannot be delayed
either to the full conflict settlement or the improvement of the economic
situation or more favorable weather conditions," Ivanov said. "Just on the
opposite, it is impossible to achieve the settlement of the current
conflict situation and the establishment of peace without a cardinal
solution to the problems of drugs raising, production and drug
trafficking," he said.
The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs is a coordinating and governing
agency of the world community in the struggle with drug trafficking. High
on the agenda of the current session are the growing abuse of cannabis and
drug-containing medicines, as well as the importance of collecting and
generalizing the information, which contribute to a closer attention of a
large-scale drug threat in the world.

.Church, culture should pool efforts to preserve national heritage.

ST. PETERSBURG, March 8 (Itar-Tass) -- "Churches should be churches,
monasteries should be monasteries, and it is necessary to pray in front of
the icons," Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill said in a sermon
during the divine liturgy at the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God Cathedral
here on Sunday. At the end of his 3-day visit in the Russian northern
capital he congratulated all Orthodox Christians on the Sunday of the
Veneration of the Cross, which highlights the middle of the Lent. He also
dwelt on the cooperation between the church and culture.
The supreme hierarch noted that it is necessary to bring the primary
function to the clerical values without driving a wedge between clergymen
and culture figures. They are occupied with the common cause of preserving
the national heritage. "All conditions should be provided for preserving
our cultural heritage," the patriarch said.
The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God Cathedral was not an accidental
podium for this sermon. The major cathedral in the Russian northern
capital has housed a museum quite recently.
St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko and Speaker of the St.
Petersburg Legislative Assembly Vadim Tyulpanov attended the religious
service.
The patriarch rounded off his visit to 'the Synodal capital' (he calls
so his native city on the Neva River) with the Sunday divine liturgy. The
Russian Orthodox Church has taken important organizational and staff
decisions in the city. Specifically, the Patriarchate Council for Culture,
the Synodal Department for Prison Ministry, the committee for Cossack
affairs, the council of Orthodox public organizations and the committee on
pastoral care for children were established in St. Petersburg. New
hierarchs were appointed to several Russian Orthodox Church eparchies in
Russia and other countries.

.European Parliament session to focus on US ABM plans in Europe.

STRASBOURG, March 8 (Itar-Tass) -- The U.S. plans to deploy a missile
defense system in Europe, the EU economic strategy for the current decade
and the financial assistance to Greece will be high on the agenda of a
plenary session of the European Parliament from March 8 to 11. European
Parliament President Jerzy Buzek will open the session with a report
dedicated to the International Women's Day on March 8, an official of the
EU supreme legislative body told Itar-Tass on Sunday.
The deputies will discuss a report on European defense strategy and
security policy, under which the United States should take into account
Russia's position in the plans to deploy the U.S. missile defense system
in Europe. The European Parliament Committee for International Affairs has
earlier approved the document.
A ten-year EU development plan is also put up for voting at the
session. The plan is seeking to increase the investments in the
development of new technologies from current 1.9% of overall European GDP
to three percent. One more important issue on the agenda of the session
will be the financial assistance to Greece. According to experts, Greece
needs at least 53 billion euros to stabilize the economy in 2010.
On Wednesday, March 10, the European Parliament will put on the final
voting a contradictory report of the UN Commission for Human Rights
drafted by Richard Goldstone, who devoted it to the investigation into the
Israeli military operation codenamed Cast Lead in the Gaza. Specifically,
the report states that the indicators of war crimes are seen in the combat
actions of Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas.
-0-baz


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