Afghan government weighing amnesty for wealthy drug traffickers, officials

[Judi Lynn]

Afghan government weighing amnesty for wealthy drug traffickers, officials say


By Stephen Graham
ASSOCIATED PRESS
12:37 p.m. January 9, 2005

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan leaders are considering offering amnesty to drug smugglers who get out of the country's booming narcotics industry and invest their profits in national reconstruction, senior officials told The Associated Press.

The proposed amnesty could blunt a U.S.-sponsored crackdown on traffickers and opium poppy farmers and raises tough ethical questions for a government also seeking reconciliation with followers of the ousted Taliban regime.

Under pressure from the United States and Europe, President Hamid Karzai has declared a "holy war" against the narcotics trade, which has grown rapidly since the Taliban fell three years ago after a U.S.-led invasion. Karzai has said it is his top priority during the five-year term he won in landmark September elections.

On Sunday, Karzai's office would not say whether an amnesty was being discussed. But two senior officials told the AP that debate on the proposal had begun.
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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20050109-1237-afghan-drugamnesty.html