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."