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Central American, Caribbean
countries to establish regional
anti-drug center
Representatives from Central
American and Caribbean countries
agreed on Tuesday to establish a
regional anti-drug center in
order to tackle crimes related
to drug-trafficking in the
region.
The representatives reached the
agreement at an anti-drug summit
held in Bogota, the capital city
of Colombia. They also agreed to
hold a technical conference in
El Salvador on Jan. 17, 2006,
for the sake of drafting the
guidelines for establishing the
center.
The strategy of the center,
including its goals, activities
and responsibilities, will be
formulated at the technical
conference and they will be
subject to the approval of
states in the region, according
to the agreement reached at the
summit.
Representatives believed drug
trafficking is a multinational
threat, which has links with
organized crime, terrorist
groups, arms-smuggling and money
laundering. Thus, it is of
extreme significance to enhance
regional exchange of information
so as to further crack down on
drug-trafficking.
Nineteen countries, including
Mexico, have sent defense
ministers or officials in charge
of anti-drug affairs to attend
the summit. Besides,
representatives from the United
States, France, Britain and the
Organization of American States
were also present at the summit
as observers.
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