PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF PARAGUAY

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF PARAGUAY

Just as the Marshall Plan was put in place for recovery after a world war, a similar plan should be put in place to aid recovery in certain countries in the wake of the drug scourge which was also international, Juan Carlos Wasmosy, President of Paraguay, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference today.

The President said he was sorry the Republicans had not budged in their position towards the fight on drugs. "They should become more flexible, because no one was going to ask whether this scourge was Democratic or Republican since it involved everybody and not just the United States."

A correspondent said that crop substitution would be one of the more critical aspects of the drug war and wanted to know how Paraguay would fulfil its goals given the Republican opposition to providing more money for the fight. "There is very little help in Paraguay to help fight drug trafficking", President Wasmosy replied. The United States and the international community naturally supported the systems formed legitimately through free and fair elections. All integration processes should be based on legitimate government so that decisions could have continuity or the necessary legitimacy.

The danger was, however, the economic power of those who dealt in drugs, the President continued. Drug trafficking could change governments. Providing $30 million or $40 million for elections in countries with not very well developed economies was just a "tip" for drug traffickers. They could produce leaders or presidents if they wanted -- and that would be a danger to what the United States was seeking. "I hope that the Republicans will change their attitude", he added.

A correspondent asked what were the implications of drug trafficking on the Common Market of the Southern Cone (MERCOSUR). "We have had two summit meetings, President Wasmosy replied. Based on the statements of the various Presidents at the General Assembly, there was a concurrence of views on three central points -- responsibility, solidarity and firmness.

Those were the three concepts that covered "what we are all thinking about", President Wasmosy continued. Fighting the drug scourge could not be done unilaterally; it was the responsibility of everyone. Solidarity requires joint action by all countries that were facing the issue. A way out of the problem had to be found through conversion and without resorting to violence. Firmness was needed to give the justice system enough authority to take action so that criminals would not find any safe haven. Actions had to be comprehensive in addressing such areas as strengthening customs and combating money-laundering and psychotropic substances.

In Paraguay there was the National Secretariat Against Drugs to combat drugs, the President told correspondents. He understood that the President of Brazil would soon be implementing something similar in his country as well. Everyone's support was needed. A correspondent wanted to know whether there were any problems in Paraguay with drug users, what was the number of users and whether there was a human approach as advocated yesterday by French President Jacques Chirac. "We cannot repress just to repress", President Wasmosy replied. "We have to rehabilitate those who have fallen and try to support the organizations that support rehabilitation programmes." A hospital had been set up in Paraguay, and General Carlos Albert Ayala, President of the Senate, had been asked to work there with the assistance of the United States to fight the evil. "Our country is neither producer nor user but is used as a transit to Brazil, Europe and the United States." General Ayala then took the floor to respond to the correspondent. The anti-drug secretariat had three pillars. There was an education against drug use programme in schools similar to what was being done in the United States. The education programme was made up of high school youths who were alerting their peers about the drug problem. The second pillar was prohibition, by which drugs from Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, like cocaine, were prohibited from entering Paraguay to transit to Brazil and Argentina before going to major centres like the United States and Europe. "We produce marijuana", General Ayala continued, "but we fight that very well." Last night his special agents reported that they had seized 200 kilograms of marijuana that were in transit from Argentina to Paraguay. The third pillar was to stand vigilant and to have constant training, which entailed taking courses abroad or in Paraguay. "We cannot ask that only one country fight -- all countries must fight together, manage their resources and plan with what they have. The threat of the twenty-first century is drugs." Drug trafficking must not establish itself because it could damage democratic institutions, diminish the rule of law and then "we have the most serious expression of organized crime possible", he added. Responding to a question regarding the use of insecticides and biological agents, General Ayala said Paraguay did not use substances that were harmful to nature because they injured the ecosystem. "Our administration has adopted a very firm directive from the President not to use toxic substances to destroy marijuana plantations." Marijuana was destroyed personally by personnel from the special forces. "We cannot use agro-toxic substances because the marijuana, poppy or coca plantations of the world use damp jungle territory and mountainsides where you find streams and rivers", President Wasmosy said. If those plantations were bombarded by toxic substances, in time rain would wash them down into the stream. The residual toxins would hurt the ecosystem, flora, fauna and fish. Paraguay had decided not to use them and even though it was more work to destroy the marijuana plants in the jungle, "we have the satisfaction that no one can accuse us of using those substances that are harmful to the ecosystem".

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