EU’s Solana urges cooperation on security

EUÆs Solana urges cooperation on security    Javier Solana, secretary-general of the council of the European Union and former secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, told the Worldwide Security Conference in Brussels Monday that cooperation and partnerships are required to fight terrorism.
   In particular, Solana said the EU is cooperating on security with countries of North Africa and the Near East.
   “We have a good network of relationships with what we call the Mediterranean countries ' from Morocco ' to the Ukraine,” he told the conference. But, in relation to protection against terrorism, “many countries are not prepared,” he added. “Their border are too porous.”
   “For all of us, the fight against international terrorism is a growth area,” Solana said, addressing some 300 representatives from customs agencies, governments, international organizations and industry.
   “We need a global response,” he added. “First, to be effective, we need partnerships, with other key actors and organizations. Second, we need a comprehensive strategy tackling both the manifestations and the underlying causes of terrorism, such as political alienation and radicalization.”
   “International security concerns have affected customs administrations across the globe,” said Pravin Gordhan, chairman of the World Customs Organization. The WCO has developed a framework to secure and facilitate global trade. “This is our collective contribution to secure the international trading system and protect the national economic and social development goals of our governments.”
   The conference was organized by the EastWest Institute, a non-profit think tank, in cooperation with the WCO.