Brasília, November 18, 2002 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - On Thursday and Friday (21-22)representatives of antidrug agencies from the four Mercosur countries and Chile and Bolivia will meet at the Itamaraty Palace to discuss common procedures to adopt in activities to reduce drug supply and demand. The themes on the agenda are: Illegal Drug Traffic, Supervision of Controlled Chemical Substances, Reduction of Demand, and Legislative Congruence.

Brazil will simultaneously host for the first time the Specialized Meeting of Applied Authorities in Drug Matters, Prevention of Improper Use, and Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts in the Mercosur (RED). This is the fourth version of the encounter, first held in Uruguay in April, 2000, and then twice in Argentina, in October, 2001, and May, 2002.

The RED was created by Common Market Group resolution 76/98, which acknowledged the importance for Mercosur member states to determine common programs and activities for cooperation, training, and information exchange in this area. (DAS)