OAS Ministry of Justices Have Fourth Meeting

On March 10-13, 2002 the fourth meeting of the Organization of American States meeting of Ministers of Justice was held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. OAS member are to continue to participate actively in the work of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) in the negotiation process for an inter-American convention in this area, focusing on the need to enhance mechanisms for hemispheric cooperation and the connection between transnational organized crime and terrorism. The regional effort to strengthen criminal cooperation and criminal justice infrastructure is clearly still in its infancy. Its weaknesses include the lack of mandatory laws requiring participation by OAS members, the lack of human and financial resources, and the competition for scarce criminal law and justice resources throughout the region. Notwithstanding these weaknesses the region is slowly progressing towards strengthened cooperation, which rising transnational crime, especially terrorism and organized crime, stimulated.