-Caveat Lector-
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Sunshine: UN Pulls Out of South American Bioweapons Plans
Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2000 11:32:31 -0600
From: Edward Hammond <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: Edward Hammond <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Multiple recipients of announce - Sent by <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Joint Press Release from:
Acci�n Andina (Bogot�)
Sunshine Project (US/Germany)
Transnational Institute (Amsterdam)
** United Nations Pulls Out of Plans to Use **
** Anti-Drug Biological Weapons in South America **
NGOs Caution that Dangers Remain in Asia, Colombia, and the US and Call for
the UN Drugs Commission and Biological Weapons Convention to Impose a Ban.
13 November - The United Nations has pulled back from proposals to
develop and use biological agents to eradicate illicit coca and opium
poppy crops in the Andes. Several nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) welcome the change as a positive step; but caution that
anti-drug biological weapons programs are still active in Asia and
the United States, while proposals exist to start such research in
Colombia. The NGOs say that the UN decision to pull out in South
America should be the first step toward a global ban on biological
agents to eradicate illicit - or any - crops.
-> Clear Statement: The new position of the United Nations Drug
Control Program (UNDCP) unequivocally states "UNDCP is neither
implementing, or planning to implement, or discussing the possibility
of implementing a biocontrol project in Colombia or anywhere else in
the Andes." UNDCP, with the sole financial support of the US and UK,
has embarked on a global program to develop biological agents to kill
illicit crops. The program has been harshly criticized as dangerous
and highly inappropriate for a UN agency by Andean governments,
indigenous peoples, scientists, and drug policy, environment, and
biological weapons specialists. UNDCP's change of position is a
significant policy reversal confirmed in a letter sent to NGOs on
November 2nd by a senior official on behalf of UNDCP Director Pino
Arlacchi.
-> US Misstatements: The non-profits warn that US officials continue
to make confusing statements claiming that UNDCP is participating in
its plans to use biological weapons in the Andes. The US State
Department's Andean policy chief Phillip Chicola told Bogot�'s El
Tiempo on October 20th that UNDCP would conduct research in Colombia
on strains of the coca-killing fungus Fusarium oxysporum and other
biological agents, despite adamant denials from both Colombia and
UNDCP. Last week, a US government official told NGOs that UNDCP is
negotiating on its behalf in Colombia. UNDCP says this is false.
Edward Hammond of the Sunshine Project argues that the US position
reflects deep cynicism about international governance and biological
weapons proliferation. According to Hammond "If the US used these
agents alone, it would be an outright illegal act of war. UNDCP's
work on biological weapons is mostly a frightening story of cynical
attempts by the US to hijack a UN agency. The US strategy is for
UNDCP's involvement to chip away at the sovereignty of target
countries and their neighbors, and to reduce US exposure to
allegations of biological warfare. Thanks to opposition by civil
society, a slumbering UN is waking up to the abuse; but smug US
officials still step beyond their bounds, talking about UNDCP policy
as if Kofi Annan headed an inconsequential section of the State
Department."
-> Other Research Continues: NGOs warn that UNDCP's withdrawal only
applies in the Andean region and that important steps remain to be
taken to ensure that biological weapons will not be used anywhere in
the war on drugs. Several imminent dangers need to be addressed
urgently:
-> Asia: UNDCP continues to support biological eradication in Asia,
with a poppy-killing fungus research project in Uzbekistan. According
to Martin Jelsma of the Transnational Institute (TNI), "This US-UK
jointly funded project has been running since 1998 without any
independent monitoring and may soon have fungi ready to use in opium
poppy eradication. UNDCP may have backed out on clear terms from the
Fusarium project in Colombia; but it has done so without even
questioning its role in the Uzbekistan project. UNDCP defends its
mandate to collaborate in developing 'safer eradication agents' using
a misleading discourse on environmental protection and blinded by the
illusion that total eradication of poppy and coca from the planet is
possible in a decade. UNDCP has failed to explain why a UN agency is
involved in forced eradication at all, a strategy vehemently opposed
by many of its member states."
-> Colombia: Under US pressure, the Colombian Environment Ministry
has prepared a proposal to research biological agents to eradicate
coca. Colombian Senator Rafael Orduz, a leading opponent, says
"Despite the Colombian government's repeated affirmation that it
rejects the use of Fusarium oxysporum for the eradication of crops,
the Environment Ministry persists in leaving the door open to
research on native biological agents. The Environment Ministry's
ambiguous position legitimizes the possibility of biological warfare
under the cover of research and scientific development, with
unpredictable consequences for the region. The position also is a
part of forced eradication strategies for illicit crops that have
been unsuccessful in the past and which, under Plan Colombia, cause
the worsening of the armed conflict's consequences for civilians,
including forced displacement of people."
"One of the core themes of the peace discussions in Colombia is
illicit crops and their alternatives." says Ricardo Vargas of Acci�n
Andina, "The continuing threat to use biological agents to eradicate
coca and poppy undermines confidence between parties in the peace
process. These biological weapons are perceived as another arm for
use against insurgents. They generate mistrust between the state and
coca and poppy growing farm communities looking for cooperative
solutions. Communities see biological agents as another pernicious
technique in the war against drugs, on top of chemical sprays, which
have failed their purpose of eradicating illicit crops."
-> United States: Biological weapons research is also being
conducted in the US on agents to kill coca, opium poppy, and
marijuana. US government scientists in Beltsville, Maryland remain
fully engaged and are currently testing agents to eradicate opium
poppy. The US could also suffer from policy amnesia and reverse its
commitment to only fund international testing and use of biological
eradication through a multilateral mechanism. Says Susana Pimiento, a
Colombian attorney with the Sunshine Project "These dangerous
programs, falsely labeled 'biological control research', threaten the
reputation of legitimate biocontrol science and, most importantly,
loosen international prohibitions on biological weapons. UNDCP's
South American pullout is step one. The announcement must be the
prelude to a global ban on development and use of biological weapons
to eradicate illicit crops."
An important concern is the status of US fiscal year 2000
appropriations to the US State Department for more biological weapons
research. This money was to be allocated to UNDCP for work on
biological eradication of coca; but UNDCP is backing away and the
Organization of American States' anti-drug office says it "never
planned or even considered" biological weapons as an option. Says
Hammond, "The State Department's narcotics unit must turn its
biowarfare bank account to peaceful purposes."
-> Building a Global Ban: Critical steps in creating a global ban on
the use of biological weapons in the drug war will be work by civil
society at upcoming meetings of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
and the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention. At these meetings,
NGOs will seek the dismantling of existing research programs and a
ban on any future work on biological weapons to eradicate illicit
crops. NGOs will ask the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and UNDCP donor
countries to stop all UNDCP work on biological agents in illicit crop
eradication. The Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention will be
asked to consider the issue of biological eradication for its
upcoming Review Conference in 2001, with the objective of clarifying
and asserting that Convention's ban on hostile use of anti-crop
biological agents.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contacts:
Edward Hammond, Sunshine Project, Austin, TX (US), +1 512 707-6894,
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Martin Jelsma, Transnational Institute, Amsterdam, +31 20 6626608,
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Susana Pimiento, Sunshine Project, Austin, TX (US), +1 512 707-6894,
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Ricardo Vargas, Acci�n Andina, Bogot�, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Sunshine Project is an international non-profit dedicated to
biological weapons issues with offices in Hamburg, Germany and Austin
(Texas), USA. For more information: http://www.sunshine-project.org
The Transnational Institute (TNI) and Acci�n Andina work jointly in
the Drugs and Democracy Program, a collaboration of researchers
specialized in drugs and the impact of policies to combat them. The
Program analyzes the obstacles that drug trafficking and anti-drug
policy create for the democratization and demilitarization of Latin
America. For more information: http://www.tni.org/drugs
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