Print this page
Dominica joins Antigua and Barbuda, Panama, and Peru in signing OAS agreement to promote firearms marking
By TDN Staff Writers
February 7, 2012 1:25 a.m.
Hubert J. Charles, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Dominica to the Organisation of American States (OAS) and Guillermo Cochez, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Panama to the OAS. |
Dominica on Monday February 6, 2012 joined Antigua and Barbuda, Panama, and Peru in signing an OAS agreement to promote firearms marking. The agreement is aimed at giving the countries the ability to combat illegal arms trafficking.
During the signing, OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza stated that with the signing of this agreement "the countries will not only acquire the technical capacity to develop specific actions to prevent and combat illegal arms trafficking but will also show their willingness and commitment to address the challenges of criminal activity for the security and welfare of citizens."
For his part, Dominica’s ambassador to the OAS Hubert Charles said his government "is pleased to be part of this important agreement, which is one of the key mechanisms for the prevention and trafficking of firearms." He also said that he fully supported the program and expressed the hope that it would extend to all the other Caribbean countries.
Also speaking at the ceremony in Washington DC was Ambassador Deborah-Mae Lovell, who suggested that the agreement is "a significant step in the fight against crime.” She also stressed that her government was “pleased to join the global efforts of marking of firearms. "
Speaking on behalf of the government of Panama, Ambassador Guillermo Cochez, said that the agreement allows countries to "strengthen cooperation and promote information sharing among government authorities responsible nationally, regionally and internationally."
A similar sentiment was echoed by Raul Salazar, the alternate representative for Peru who focused on the practical aspect of the agreement for helping to prevent illicit trading in firearms.
The signing of the treaty brings to 20 the number of countries in the Western Hemisphere that has so far signed up. The OAS have said that the agreement will make it possible for the countries to receive the technical help they need in tracking illegal weapons and that it “have strengthened their capacities to protect the lives of their citizens.”
For the purposes of identification and tracing of the firearms the -American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials (CIFTA) require, at the time of manufacture, appropriate markings of the name of manufacturer, place of manufacture, and serial number. It also require appropriate markings on imported firearms permitting the identification of the importer's name and address; and require appropriate markings on any firearms confiscated or forfeited.
|