Colombia leader urges international efforts on drug use
Colombia's president is calling on foreign governments to take more responsibility for illegal drug use in their countries.
President Juan Manuel Santos, who is in the UK for a two-day visit, told the BBC that "as long as people in London, New York and Paris are sniffing cocaine, we will suffer".
He described it as a matter of national security for Colombia and said drug consumption overseas helped finance both local mafia and political groups involved in a decades-old violent struggle to overthrow the government.
Mr Santos claimed a victory earlier this month when the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc, was killed.
He told the BBC's Alastair Leithead that it was an important step towards peace in his country.
21 Nov 2011
- From the section Latin America & Caribbean