by the El Reportero’s wire services
Aminta Granera
MANAGUA (Prensa Latina) Chiefs of Police in Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Colombia review on Aug. 23, in this capital joint plans to combat violence caused by drug trafficking and transnational crime.
According to reports, the military institutions hope to adopt a common strategy to deal in a coordinated way with widespread phenomena like human trafficking, illegal trafficking of drugs and money laundering.
The general director of the Nicaraguan police, First Commissioner Aminta Granera, recently confirmed that the meeting’s purpose is the establishment of a system of “red alerts” in order to facilitate the capture of criminals, in coordination with the International Police Organization Criminologist (Interpol).
Transnational crime must sense it is up against a wall, from Mexico to Colombia, including the Caribbean, “with a single fist, with one goal, one action”, she said.
In late July, the regional event held in Managua moved ahead on arrangements to design a system of circulated red alerts to allow simultaneous tracking in the region.
Headquartered at the Hotel Barceló, the meeting will take place while a police court in the capital is holding a public trial against 24 alleged members of a network trafficking and laundering money for drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia.
International assessments place Central America among the most insecure areas of the planet due to drug activity, with the disadvantage of being sandwiched between the world’s largest drug market to the north, in the U.S., and drug producers in the southern part of the continent.
Colombian peace talk rumors
Senator Roy Barreras of the ruling Partido de la U (PU) read a joint statement onAug. 22 on behalf of the Senate and Lower House Peace commissions declaring that “the president [Juan Manuel Santos] is not alone in the search for peace. Congress opens the doors to the house of democracy to debate the paths to peace”, reported Latin Briefs.
Also from Latin Briefs: Graziano calls for coordinated action to head off global food price crisis
With global food prices spiraling on the back of the worst drought for generations in the US midwest, José Graziano da Silva, the Brazilian head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has repeated his calls on the US to waive the mandate that 10 percent of each gallon of gasoline sold in the US be mixed with ethanol, so as to free up scarce corn supplies for the food chain.
Warning that unilateral actions by governments in 2007 and 2008 proved counterproductive and exacerbated the last food price crisis, he has also called upon the world’s leaders to act “in a coherent manner” this time round so as to avoid the latest price spike becoming entrenched.
Uruguay to sign gas deal with Angola
MONTEVIDEO – (Prensa Latina) Raúl Sendic, president of Uruguay state-run oil Co. Ancap will travel next September to Angola with the mission accompanying FM Luis Almagro to sign with counterpart Sonangol a gas venture agreement, says La República daily.
Sendic assured Ancap and the local UTE Electricity Co. are speeding the construction of a gas plant two kilometers from the coast in Puntas de Sayago, Montevideo, adding that having better sales prices demand having good contracts while La Republica daily highlights Sonangol’s excellent reserves and facilities to become a supplier.
The official, at once, denied the existence of set prices on the sales of futures to Argentina for the latter must invest in building the plant first to know of the exact expenses and payoff.
