US Tries for Global Trade Transfer Control
US agents will now control trade through Honduras' Puerto Cortes, 215 miles north of Tegucigalpa, as part of the alleged anti-terrorism drive.

La Prensa local daily reported that the agreement signed Thursday, by Honduran Finance and Environment Ministers Hugo Noe Pino and Patricia Panting, allows US officials to inspect all cargo exiting this port.

The agreement makes Honduras the third Latin American country to join the program, after Brazil (Port Santos) and Argentina (Buenos Aires).

The justification is to prevent nuclear or radioactive material from reaching US territory as of Jan 2006. This is part of the Container Security Initiative passed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon.

Most Honduran exports, to its Central American neighbors, the US, Europe and other continents, go through Port Cortes.

In addition to setting up a powerful radar to detect radioactive material, the National Nuclear Security Administration will train personnel to ID the presence of anomalous cargo in the containers.

The US has similar contracts with Holland and Greece and there are talks underway with governments in Europe, Asia, South America, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

If the negotiations succeed the US will achieve partial global control of commercial movement.