Pubdate: Fri, 13 Aug 1999
Source: Australian, The (Australia)
Copyright: News Limited 1999
Contact:  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/
Author: Roger Martin

NOTES ON HEROIN TALKS CONTRADICT MINISTER

A Senior public servant has confirmed a Swiss scientist was referring
to time constraints when he told Family and Children's Services
Minister Rhonda Parker he was under pressure from the Swiss Government
over a heroin trial.

Drug Abuse Strategy Office executive director Terry Murphy said he
would not contradict Ms Parker's version of the meeting, but his notes
referred to pressure on the scientist to complete the trial promptly.
A similar drug trial being conducted in The Netherlands was not under
the same time pressure.

Ms Parker caused a furore last month when she claimed Swiss academic
Ambros Uchtenhagen had told her he was under political pressure to
produce positive results from a study on the use of prescription
heroin a claim the scientist denies and says is an attack on his integrity.

After standing by her comments in parliament this week, Ms Parker
tabled notes of the meeting made by Mr Murphy and her chief of staff,
Mathias Cormann, which she said backed her version of the talks.

But the notes appear to support Professor Uchtenhagen, who says he
only referred to "time restraints".

Mr Cormann's notes say: "Pressure to come up with results in
Switzerland. NL (Netherlands) will only report at end of study." Mr
Murphy's notes say: "Dutch report will complement Swiss. X (Won't)
release results early unlike pol (political) pressure on U
(Uchtenhagen)."

Mr Murphy confirmed his notes referred to the time constraints on
Professor Uchthenhagen's study. "When I look at my notes, I see the
context in which they were made."

But he also said he stood by Ms Parker's version of the meeting. "I
don't claim to remember every detail of the conversation," he said.

Ms Parker claimed in the Legislative Assembly that the notes confirmed
her recollection of the meeting.

"Let me make it absolutely clear again," she said. "I clearly
recollect that Professor Uchtenhagen related to me the 'enormous
political pressure' he was under from the Swiss Government to come up
with positive results on the trial."

Ms Parker said the notes were clearly short versions of what was said,
but both referred to pressure to come up with results.

Professor Uchtenhagen has told The Australian there was no pressure by
the Swiss Government for him to produce positive results, and says he
could not have mentioned such a thing to Ms Parker.

"There were some time restraints to produce the synthesis report,
which served as a material basis for further political deliberations
on various levels and for public debate," he said.

"Such time restraints, however, had no impact on the contents of the
report, which summarised all of the findings available at the time."

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