UN General Assembly
1993

to hold elections in the course of the coming year. We have therefore requested the United Nations to help organize and supervise the election process. Now I should like to come back to the two or three points which I mentioned earlier. One issue worth mentioning here and which has had both regional and international implications is that of narcotic drugs. At the present time the illicit cultivation, production, stocking, smuggling of and trafficking in narcotic drugs are without a doubt critical problems that face humanity. Regrettably, one of the legacies of the long war is the transformation of some parts of our country into staging areas for illicit drug activity. This phenomenon, which is the result of the unavailability of economic alternatives, is a source of great pain to us. The Islamic State of Afghanistan, despite its scarce resources, has undertaken serious measures in the struggle against illicit drugs. We shall spare no efforts in combating these illegal activities. However, we must not overlook the reality that Afghanistan, with its extremely limited means and massive