KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Malaysian Deputy Prime
Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Monday called on the world to join
forces and wage a global war against drug abuse as the war against
terrorism.
   Abdullah, who is also Home Minister, said that such efforts had
to be taken because enough had been said about the need to fight
this menace on the national and international scale.
   "We have had an array of conferences, passed numerous
resolutions and yet we are still beset by this problem and many
declarations have been made and the problem still remains,"
Abdullah said in his speech at the opening of the Global
Conference on Drug Abuse Prevention in north town of Pinang.
   He said that drug abuse and illicit trafficking in drugs were
among the greatest threats to mankind.
   For the campaign to be really successful it would require
global action and the cooperation of all countries to coordinate a
comprehensive strategy to eliminate this deadly menace, he said.
   Besides law enforcement efforts, the Malaysian government had
given serious consideration to the preventive aspects of drug
control, he said.
   It is the vision of the Malaysian government to create a drug-
free society by the year 2015 in line with the ASEAN vision of
creating an drug-free region, he added.
   "I would like to suggest that all countries consider emulating
the example set by ASEAN to forge ahead for a drug-free world," he
said.
   The five-day conference was attended by some 300 participants
from 44 countries.  Enditem