Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defense approved last Wednesday (16), the Memorandum of Understanding among Brazil, Colombia and Peru to fight against illicit activities at the common or frontier rivers.The main agreement objectives are to combat narcotics and psychotropic drug traffic, guns, ammunition and explosives.

For the Rapporteur, Deputy William Woo, “the measures agreed upon the text are extremely positive, under the regional security viewpoint”. He reminds that criminal activity combat along 4,639 kilometers of border among the three countries represents a great challenge.

Mutual Trust
At his reason exhibition that has led the proposal to the Congress, the Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, argues that, with it, “it has searched for mutual transparency and trust strengthening at America scope”.

Through the memorandum, Brazil, Colombia and Peru compromise to control vessels transit at the borders and intensify information exchange on suspected vessels being involved in crimes. To ease common intelligence activities, these countries will create a permanent communication net.

These countries shall also communicate one each other any kinds of public disorder at the frontier zones. The text also determines that they should exchange data on vessels that travel along the border rivers.

In case of flagrant, the vessel with all its crew and cargo should be immobilized and submitted to the current penal and administrative procedures for each country.

The three signatory countries of memorandum still compromise to provide maximum cooperation at “special situations” like medical emergencies, natural disasters and public calamity.

The proposal will be analyzed by other committees before being voted by the Floor.

Translation - Grupo Solucion-SP Language/Márcia Regina Monteiro Ferreira