FBIS3-22088
"jptdd013__l94091"
JPRS-tdd-94-013-L
Document Type:JPRS
Document Title:Narcotics
7 February 1994
WEST EUROPE
DENMARK
Justice Minister Comments on Strasbourg Antidrug `Summit'
94WD0235A Copenhagen BERLINGSKE TIDENDE in Danish 7 Feb 94 p
4
94WD0235A
Copenhagen BERLINGSKE TIDENDE
Language: Danish
Article Type:CSO
[Article by Morten Pihl: "Europe Declines to Legalize
Drugs"--first paragraph is BERLINGSKE TIDENDE introduction]
[Text] Justice Minister Erling Olsen (Social Democrat) has
rejected the proposal made by Pelle Voigt (Socialist Party) that
the Baltic countries form a joint maritime police force in order
to put a stop to the activities of the Russian Mafia in the
Baltic.
``No'' to legalizing drugs. ``Yes'' to more prevention,
treatment, and rehabilitation. And ``yes'' to focusing on
pursuit of drug traffickers and producers rather than drug
addicts.
According to Olsen, this was the prevailing consensus last
week in Strasbourg at a narcotics summit meeting of European
justice and health ministers, in which Russia and a number of
former Soviet republics participated.
"The principle theme was that drugs should not be legalized.
Efforts should be directed primarily toward prevention,
treatment, and rehabilitation. The objective is, first of all,
to lessen the demand for drugs and, second, to limit the harm
they do," said Olsen:
"People must be weaned away from the use of drugs, until the
drug dealers are left standing in the streets like men selling
Christmas trees on New Year's."
Limit on Control
The supply of drugs must be cut off by police action, but,
according to Olsen, there is a limit to what can be done.
"This should not be the only way or be relied upon
exclusively. You cannot get rid of drugs just by going after
drug addicts. To a great extent it is the dealers and producers
that you have to get. We cannot have open drug dealing on the
streets, but on the other hand, we cannot turn everybody's
pockets inside out to see whether or not they have drugs. We
have to go after the big quantities," he said. Together with
Health Minister Torben Lund (Social Democrat), Olsen will
introduce a drug initiative later in the month.
Olsen would also like to beef up international police
cooperation as a step in combating the international criminal
syndicates who deal not only in drugs, but also in other
activities such as theft. He regards the 500 break-ins in
Jutland over the last four months are an indication of this.
Greater cooperation with Russia and the Baltic countries is
essential in the battle against the Russian Mafia, the justice
minister feels.
Even so, Olsen does not support Voigt's proposal that the
Baltic states should form a joint maritime police force in order
to put a stop to the Russian Mafia's illegal transport of drugs,
weapons, radioactive material, and people over the Baltic.
The problem was brought home last Friday morning when 36
Tamil asylum-seekers entered the country via Koge in life rafts
set into the frigid water under cover of darkness. The Tamils
were very likely shipped out from a harbor in one of the Baltic
states after a stopover in Moscow.
Cooperation "Here and Now"
"Closer political cooperation is an absolute necessity, but
we do not have time to wait for new organizations to be built
up. The idea of a maritime Baltic police would be good if it
could be formed quickly, but I doubt that it can. It would
become entangled in reports, committees, and what have you. And
that would simply mean that we lose more time. For this reason,
I am opting for a `here and now' approach, for strengthening the
cooperation that already exists with countries such as Russia
and the Baltic states, as well as for those organizations we
already have in place," said Olsen, citing Interpol and
Europol's Drug Unit as examples.
It is not the large organizations so much as the personal
contact between the police corps and an increased exchange of
information between countries that is needed. This must be done
here and now, because according to Olsen, the international
criminal syndicates are knocking on Denmark's door:
"For a long time, we were spared much of the criminal
activity perpetrated by the international syndicates, but they
are moving nearer our borders. The meeting in Strasbourg
emphasized to me how important it is that we seriously get to
work on implementing the proposal I will introduce this summer
on combating organized crime."