WASHINGTON, CMC – The United States has lauded Caribbean countries for their determination to combat terrorism despite limited resources and capabilities.
In its Country Reports on Terrorism 2009, released here on Thursday, the State Department said primary counterterrorism objectives for the Caribbean included preventing terrorists or terrorist organizations from entering or transiting the Caribbean en route to other countries, particularly the United States, and increasing countries’ awareness of the potential threat from terrorists or terrorist organizations.
It also said preventing terrorists or terrorist organizations from operating or developing safe havens in the Caribbean and increasing countries’ capabilities to prevent terrorists from attacking targets of opportunity were other counterterrorism objectives of the region.
“The United States enjoyed solid cooperation on terrorism-related matters from most hemispheric partners, especially at the operational level, and maintained excellent intelligence, law enforcement, and legal assistance relations with most countries,” the report said.
It noted that, in 2009, Belize began receiving funding through the Merida Initiative to shore up its borders.
But the State Department lamented that Belize borders are “extremely porous,” adding that there is a “significant corruption problem among immigration and customs officers, particularly on the western and northern borders.
“It remained easy to change identity by purchasing stolen passports. Laws governing name changes were extremely lax.”
The State Department said the Financial Investigative Unit, within the Haitian National Police, and the Financial Intelligence Unit, within the Ministry of Justice, cooperated with the United States in anti-money laundering initiatives to improve the ability to detect funds acquired through criminal activity, including funds that could be acquired through terrorist networks.
It said while the Haitian government drafted counterterrorism legislation in 2008, it was not enacted by Parliament in 2009.
In addition, it said while the French-speaking Caribbean country has accepted the terms of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, it has not formally signed the convention.
The United States applauded Jamaica for cooperating on a variety of counterterrorism-related areas, including the Container Security Initiative; the provision of equipment and training to the Jamaica Defense Force and Constabulary Force; and law enforcement intelligence sharing.
It said Jamaican and US authorities remain concerned about the “plans, intentions, and influence” of deported radical Jamaican-born cleric Sheik Abdullah El-Faisal.
In 2007, following his imprisonment in the United Kingdom for inciting murder and for fomenting terrorism and racial hatred, British authorities deported El-Faisal to his homeland.
Last year, El-Faisal was detained in Kenya after violating his visa terms by preaching in Kenyan mosques.
The report also said Jamaica’s entry/exit computer system, controlled by the Passport, Immigration, and Citizenship Agency, has no more storage capacity and, thus, could only recall records dating back to two years.
“An inability to track inbound and outbound persons beyond those two years remained a vulnerability,” it said.
The State Department said if counterterrorism legislation is passed in Suriname, it should bring that country in line with various international treaties dealing with terrorism.
But it said the likelihood of apprehending terrorist would be low because of the lack of border and immigration control, “and because Suriname has no digitized system for registering and monitoring visitors.”
The State Department has lauded Trinidad and Tobago for acceding to the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and for enacting legislation and rules that strengthen the government’s ability to “combat, deter, and prosecute organized criminal activity, money laundering, and terrorist financing.”
“The laws and regulations established a financial intelligence unit, provided greater authority for the government to pursue the proceeds of crime, and enhanced banking regulations to detect suspicious transactions,” the report said.
before they talk about terrorism the should tell us who brought down the twin tower’s,these bunch of criminals of high ranks.