CARICOM HOLDS SECURITY TALKS WITH UN COUNTER TERRORISM OFFICIALS

  (CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Representatives from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Task Force on Crime and Security and the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force met with a team from the United Nations (UN) Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) on Thursday 16 February in Georgetown, Guyana.

The meeting focussed on the progress made by Member States in meeting their obligations under the UN Security Council Resolution 1373 which called for “all States to work together urgently to prevent and suppress terrorist acts..” In this context, the meeting considered national and regional initiatives that have been undertaken to address issues such as narco-trafficking, illegal arms trafficking and money laundering which support terrorism.

In welcoming the CTED team, Executive Director in the Office of the Deputy Secretary-General at the CARICOM Secretariat, Ms. Jacqulyn Joseph, registered CARICOM’s commitment to the fight against terrorism.

Expressing optimism with the strides made in the Region in the fight against terrorism, leader of the CTED team, Ambassador Juan Larrain pledged his team’s ongoing assistance to Member States in meeting their obligations.

On Friday 17 February, the CTED team made a courtesy call on CARICOM Secretary-General, Mr. Edwin Carrington. During the exchange, Mr. Carrington reiterated the Community’s position against all forms of terrorism and the ongoing fight, noting that terrorism posed a potential threat to the economies of the Region.

Both parties agreed that the dialogue would continue.