UNODC to set up regional office in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, Oct 17, 2008 (WAM) - Lt. General H.H. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, minister of interior, termed the UAE consistent efforts in combating all forms of drugs addition and crimes as ''serious'' and ''fruitful''.

''The UAE is diligent in its drive to put a complete end to all manifestations of drugs addiction as this menace poses multi-faceted threats to society, economy and security and leads to a series of crimes like robbery, assault, exploitation, road accidents, unemployment and family disintegration,'' Sheikh Saif said during a meeting with the visiting Executive Director of Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa, yesterday.

The UAE Ministry of Interior and the UNODC signed a cooperation agreement under which a regional UNODC office will be established in Abu Dhabi. The agreement envisaged greater technological cooperation to prevent and control crimes.

Major General Saif Abdullah Al Shafaar, Ministry Undersecretary and Mr.

Costa sealed the agreement yesterday.

''The Ministry of Interior will do best to fight drugs trafficking, which is flourishing worldwide, and will also partner with the international community to contain it and mitigate its impact with the aim of providing present and future generations with a clean and healthy life,''Sheikh Saif stressed.

For his part, the Executive Director of Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Antonio Maria Costa, praised the UAE efforts to combat crime and drugs as ''exemplary''.

According to him,the agreement is meant for preventive rather than cure. – Emirates News Agency, WAM