thr 011                                                               


Press-Editorial-Contraband    /POL/                                   


   Daily calls for major drive against contraband                    


Tehran, Sept 27, IRNA -- An English-language daily on Thursday        


touched on the deplorable fact of widespread smuggling in the         


country and said officials must act to save the country from          


tremendous losses in revenue from the "black market" trade.           


    "The contraband trade accounts for 22% of our total commerce,"    


`Iran News' said in its editorial on Thursday.                        


     It traced the causes of widespread smuggling in the country to   


the "existing monopolies" and to the government practice of "awarding 


exclusive concessions."                                               


     Moreover, it said the country's location "at the crossroads of   


the East and West" and the political instability of neighboring       


countries contribute to the thriving contraband trade.                


    According to the daily, a government-sponsored session to review  


the various means by which smugglers conduct their trade was held on  


Tuesday.                                                              


    The contraband trade, it went on to say, is hard to control       


because the country's "vast land and sea borders are impossible to    


patrol" and the trade is encouraged by the huge demand for smuggled   


goods.                                                                


    "Powerful and influential syndicates operate the smuggling rings  


which can provide goods and services at a price, no questions asked,  


no red tape," the editorial decried.                                  


    It then called for a "well-planned and systematic campaign to     


eradicate smuggling.                                                  


    "The first step is to eliminate and abolish exclusive rights on   


a broad range of products and goods."                                 


    Secondly, "Iranian customs tariffs must be streamlined by a team  


of reputable economists."                                             


      Lastly, border controls and police surveillance must be         


strengthened notwithstanding their inherent limitations, the daily    


said.                                                                 


    "Although we lack reliable figures for the total contraband       


trade in Iran, it runs into the billions of dollars."                 


    Revenues lost from the illegal trade, "can be better spent to     


bolster our economy and improve local industry," the editorial        


concluded.                                                            


AK/LS                                                                 


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::irna    10:14