Statement by U.S. Officials
Opening Remarks International Drug Enforcement Conference By American Ambassador Ross Wilson
Istanbul, Turkey
July 8, 2008
As Prepared for delivery
On behalf of the President Bush and the government of the United States, let me welcome you to this International Drug Enforcement Conference – IDEC XXVI – in Istanbul, Turkey.
What a lot of you there are. Over 90 countries are represented. Clearly, you have made the right decision in coming to one of the world’s most beautiful and dramatic cities in summertime. The fact that you are all here reflects more than that, of course. It is based on your and your countries’ understanding that international narcotics trafficking is a problem that harms all of our countries. And it affirms your and your countries’ commitment to work on the problem not just in our national jurisdictions, but also regionally and indeed globally.
Istanbul is in many respects an unusually appropriate setting for this conference. It is an obvious bridge between East and West as shown by the ferry traffic that plies the Bosporus and the modern, majestic suspension bridges that literally connect Europe and Asia. Istanbul’s character as a crossroads and the open nature of its society, of Turkish society as a whole, are great sources of wealth. They have driven this place and made it both fascinating and dynamic since the Romans put Constantinople here, and they certainly do in modern Istanbul today.
But the very strengths of open societies and international crossroads make them especially interesting for international drug traffickers and other criminals. Astride both East and West, Turkey knows well that cooperation on drug trafficking and other transnational crime is essential to its welfare and to that of its many allies, partners and friends around the world. Turkey is a committed partner in the fight against drug trafficking. The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Turkish law enforcement authorities have work closely together for many years. Turkey’s willingness to co-host such a significant conference as this illustrates the strength of that relationship.
In preparing to make these opening remarks, I learned a little about the unique character of these IDEC conferences. There is no political agenda and no need to pledge funding or specific assistance. The focus is on learning about new trends and developing issues in counter narcotics. Surely training and networking are good outcomes. The United States and, I am sure, our Turkish hosts hope that this conference contributes to the development of new, proactive strategies for working together as we struggle to protect our ways of life.
One agenda topic that I would highlight is narco-terrorism. After last week’s historic rescue of hostages long held by FARC and the big blow it represented to that organization, now is an apt time to talk about this.
It’s a critical topic for Turkey, of course, too. This country has been struggling for over two decades against a terrorist organization called the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. The PKK funds itself through extortion and trafficking in arms, human beings and drugs. The United States has long helped Turkey to confront the PKK directly as a terrorist organization. But we recently opened another front in the campaign against it. Given the PKK significant involvement in international drug trafficking, President Bush recently designed it a Drug Kingpin. DEA worked closely with Turkish law enforcement in order to nominate the PKK for this designation. It will allow us to strengthen our joint efforts against PKK narco-terrorists through focused targeting of the assets of individuals and businesses associated with it.
DEA and the United States generally are committed to working collaboratively and cooperatively with our allies, partners and friends around the world – all of you – as we collectively address the great transnational challenges of today. Unfortunately, international drug trafficking is one of those, and we are committed to working with all of you. I want to thank you for the commitment you have shown by coming here. I hope this gathering will assist our common efforts more effectively to counter drug trafficking, traffickers, and their henchmen and beneficiaries in our countries, in our various regions and all across the globe.
Thank you.