MUSCAT, Aug 10 (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned Tuesday that US efforts to create a democratic system Afghanistan are threatened by hundreds of millions of dollars in drug money flowing to its opponents. A "master plan" was being developed to combat it, he said.
Rumsfeld, who arrived here on an unannounced trip to the region, stopped short of committing US troops to a broad new effort to attack the lucrative drug trade, saying they were busy fighting insurgents.
"It would require an overall master plan. That is what is being developed," Rumsfeld told reporters as he flew here from Washington.
The worries about the impact of drug money come as Afghanistan braces for presidential elections in October and parliamentary elections next year.
Taliban insurgents have stepped up attacks around the country in an effort to derail the vote.
Rumsfeld said there was "a full understanding that the enormous wealth that comes from dealing drugs can be put to uses that are adverse to our interests or the interests of the Afghan government."
"You need a broad effort in Afghanistan to make sure the hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars, and undoubtedly billions of dollars over time, that people are willing to pay for these destructive drugs will not go into the hands of people who want to also simultaneously destroy democracy, or reinstitute a Taliban government or provide funds to al-Qaeda or whatever," he said.
"We just don`t want that to happen. Too much effort has gone into this in Afghanistan to have it go up like that," he said.
Rumsfeld noted that Afghanistan`s had a bumper poppy crop this year.
"To the extent millions of dollars are available to criminals and to people who are not democratic it puts at risk the entire system. So it`s something the government and the coalition are determined to address," he said.
For security reasons, Pentagon officials have insisted that Rumsfeld`s itinerary not be disclosed.
He was planned a brief meeting at the airport here with Oman`s chief of staff. The country, which lies opposite Iran across the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of Gulf, has been a steadfast but low profile ally of the United States in the region.
In his comments to reporters, Rumsfeld praised Pakistan Pervez Musharraf for for aggressively pursuing al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgents in the lawless tribal areas that border Afghanistan.
He said the Pakistani operations have had a significant impact.
"Is the Taliban still active in the neighboring areas? Sure. That`s just a fact. Are they going to end up being successful, No. They are going to end up losing," he said.
"The larger the groups of Taliban that come together, the better the target, and the faster they`ll be killed or captured," he said.
He said it was "debatable" that Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader who was driven from power by US and Afghan forces in 2001, was still in control of the militant Islamic movement.
"He`s probably alive," he said. "He`s certainly hiding."