Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan to set up anti-drug centre

KABUL, September 6 (Itar-Tass) - Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and
Tajikistan will create an anti-drug strategic centre in Kabul this year.
The four countries' anti-drug agencies adopted a joint statement after
a two-day anti-drug conference that ended in the Afghan capital on Tuesday.
The quartet meeting agreed to boost efforts to counteract drug
trafficking and production. They plan to upgrade a mechanism of joint
rescue operations to destroy drug labs and prevent drug trafficking.
"Russia will continue to train Afghanistan's police to fight groups of
drug-traffickers," the head of the Russian federal drugs control service,
Viktor Ivanov, told a news conference.
He underlined that Russia together with anti-drug troops from
Afghanistan and Tajikistan "completed the first stage of the operation
codenamed Osminog [Octopus] to liquidate direct heroin supplies to the
Moscow region."
"Such operations will be conducted with Afghan and Tajik partners in
the future," Ivanov said. "There is an agreement with Pakistan on
conducting such operations along drug trafficking routes from Pakistan to
Russia."
"I would welcome, if leaders of the four countries of the anti-drug
quartet take a political decision on Iran's accession to our
organization," he said.
"At present, Russia's anti-drug services are conducting joint
operations with Iran's police to liquidate and seize drugs," Ivanov said.