Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and US Chargé d’Affaires Thomas Pierce yesterday signed a Letter of Agreement to establish and support projects aimed at countering money laundering and narcotics operations over the next three years, under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI).
The Letter of Agreement covers two key areas, law enforcement support and tracking money laundering, a release from the US Embassy said yesterday. “The law enforcement support is designed to enhance the Guyana Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) capability to conduct counter-narcotics operations at Guyana’s ports of entry,” the release said. Further, the release said that “the countering money laundering program will provide assistance to the Guyana Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU); and assist government entities to enforce anti-money laundering legislation.” Both of these projects will run over the next three years.
The signing took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but the press was not invited. The signing comes in the wake of the embarrassing transit of a container with cocaine from a local port to Jamaica. Since 9/11, the US has worked with regional countries to improve port security.
The CBSI is a partnership between the United States of America and the Caribbean nations designed to advance citizen security in the region. Through this programme the US and Caribbean countries have agreed to undertake cooperative efforts to reduce illicit trafficking, advance public safety and security, and promote social justice. Yesterday’s agreement is part of a bigger programme of assistance to the Caribbean Region which will include more than US$45 million in the first year.
This security partnership, the release said, “was developed together with Caribbean government and fulfils President Obama’s commitment to deepen regional security cooperation made at the Fifth Summit of the Americas, held in Port of Spain, Trinidad in April, 2009.”
