Region-Building: Common Objectives Part 5

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OUTER SECURITY PERIMETERS

UNASUR - FLAG - 119 x 73UNASUR:
Unasur strives for visa-free region
DWTonline, May 28, 2013 – By 2019 the integration process must result in banning visa requirements for member countries. Antonius says that ultimate goal is to introduce a South American passport.
Peru to attend 1st meeting of Unasur tourism ministers – Andina (Peru), March 17, 2013 – Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) announced Sunday it will participate in the first meeting of tourism ministers of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) next week.

Eurasec FlagEURASIAN UNION:
Putin Suggests Creating Eurasian Union on CES Basis
Telegraf.by (Belarus), Oct 4, 2011 – “It is crucial that the CES will be based on concerted action in key institutional areas – in macroeconomics, rules of competition, technical regulations and agricultural subsidies, transport, tariffs of natural monopolies and only then – in a single visa and migration policy, which will remove border controls at internal borders,” said Vladimir Putin.
Putin promotes ‘Eurasian Schengen’ in first program article – RT, Oct 4, 2011 – Putin writes that citizens of the Eurasian Union member-countries will enjoy greater freedom of travel and choice of place for education and work than citizens of the USSR had, with the proposed Eurasian Union employing a more relaxed registration policy. For businessmen the Eurasian Union will facilitate access to new dynamic markets…

GCC flagGCC:
Residents see Schengen-style GCC visa – Zawya (Dubai, UAE), November 9, 2012 – If this Schengen-style unified visa is introduced, foreign tourists and businessmen would be allowed to travel to any of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries…
[The “Schengen Zone” is the continental security perimeter surrounding all euro-zone countries, within which there is a “free flow” of commerce and people across borders.]
GCC ministers sign major security agreement – Gulfnews.com (Dubai, UAE), November 14, 2012 – The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) interior ministers have signed a major security agreement, seen as “a crucial move forward towards full security integration”.

ASEAN FlagASEAN:
ASEAN Ucits type passports take two steps closer to coming into existence – Opalesque, October 30, 2012 – Angelyn Lim of Dechert’s Hong Kong office has reported on developments in establishing an ASEAN funds passport, and most recently highlighted the news that Thailand and Singapore are leading the way in establishing a Ucits type fund passport across the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN).
Philippines supports unified ASEAN visa – Rappler, September 27, 2012 – To entice more tourists to visit the Philippines, the Department of Tourism is supporting the move for a unified visa for foreigners traveling to countries that are part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

AFRICAN UNION:
East Africa gets ready for common tourist visa – IPPMedia, November 4, 2012 – The East African Community is finalizing plans for a single destination visa that will offer tourists to the region the opportunity to visit different parts of East Africa.
East Africa eases flow of imports with new tax model – Business Daily (Kenya), May 1, 2012 – The East African Community (EAC) heads of state have endorsed a revenue management model where tax will only be collected at the point of entry and imported goods transported to the final destination without stopping at national border points for customs charges or inspection.
Comesa countries considering single travel visa – eTurboNews, August 22, 2012 – “One of the things we are going to agree among the stakeholders in the Comesa [Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa] region is to have borderless movement, so that both domestic and even international tourists can move freely from one country to the other,” -said Mwazo.

EUROPEAN UNION:
France threatens to pull out of borderless Europe – KFVS|Associated Press, April 26, 2012 – In the heat of France’s presidential election campaign, the French government insisted Thursday that if the European Union didn’t back its tougher line to fight illegal immigration it would lead to the demise of the continent’s borderless travel zone….Under current rules, the so-called Schengen zone of 26 European nations protects its common outside borders only, and allows free travel inside the member nations.

NORTH AMERICA:
Mexican ambassador announces inspection-free border crossings – MySanAntonio (San Antonio Express-News – Blog) November 16, 2012 – “Welcome to San Antonio, the NAFTA city,” declared San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro at tonight’s opening of the NAFTA 20 conference held in San Antonio….Then the Ambassador [Arturo Sarukhan] eagerly divulged that within the next 3-5 days, the Mexican government is prepared to announce pre-inspection facilities in Mexico where goods entering that country headed for the United States would be inspected at these Mexican facilities and allowed to enter the U.S. without stopping at the border. Companies would be pre-certified and vetted by the two governments in a tremendous leap toward erasing the United States border with Mexico and achieve one of NAFTA’s chief goals — to create a common economic and security perimeter, a true North American Union.
Why Republicans Are Suddenly Pro-Immigration Reform – The Atlantic, November 14, 2012 – The GOP establishment has long wanted to pass comprehensive immigration reform but been cowed by its activist base. Tuesday’s election gave them an opening.
[This must be seen in its context toward a “free flow” of people and commerce within a North American continental perimeter. This “free flow” is a key goal of all the world’s geopolitical regional integration programs to eliminate the sovereignty of nations under regional governance.]
Canada And The United States, A Singular Partnership  – Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, August 20, 2012 – The Editor interviews John F. Prato, Consul General of Canada in New York.
Prato: The goal of the Action Plan is to make the perimeter of North America more secure than ever and relieve pressures at the border itself so we can free up the flows of legitimate people, goods and services….For example, goods arriving in Canada or the United States from outside the North American perimeter will be screened once at their first point of arrival. They would then be shipped directly to their North American destination without the need for duplicate inspections along the way, even if they cross the land border.
Plan speeds flow of goods to U.S.
Minister unable to provide cost of ‘inspected once, cleared twice’ pilot project
The Province (Canada), October 22, 2012 – Canada Border Services Agency personnel will inspect cargo and secure it with high-security bolt seals, negating the need for another inspection at the U.S. border.
Prince Rupert starts harmonized cargo screening – MM&D (Canada), October 22, 2012 – Under the Integrated Cargo Security Strategy, any cargo arriving from off-shore only needs to be screened once at its initial port of arrival. After it has been cleared, the shipment is free to move across the US-Canada border without the need for further security screenings. The program is part of the Beyond the Border Action plan…
NAFTA Triumverate Moves to Further Cement Continental Union – Pacific Free Press, April 10, 2012 – On April 2, President Barack Obama hosted Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon for the sixth North American Leaders Summit….In their joint communique, the leaders recognized, “the growing regional and federal cooperation in the area of continental energy, including electricity generation… They emphasized the need to deepen, “cooperation to enhance our collective energy security, including the safe and efficient exploration and exploitation of resources.”….Mexico’s drug war is increasingly being seen as a continental problem that requires continental solutions which is further pushing the NAFTA partnership into a common security front. This is escalating the militarization of the borders, integration in areas of law enforcement and the military, as well as advancing the development of a North American security perimeter.
Police State North America: The U.S.-Canada Integrated Cybersecurity Agenda – Center for Research on Globalization, November 13, 2012 – In a move that received little attention, both countries recently announced a joint cybersecurity action plan. Cyber threats know no national borders which has made the issue an important security concern. A fully integrated North American security perimeter would be entrusted with preventing and responding to any such attacks.
U.S. official muses about joint border controls with Canada – Yahoo! News Canada, March 6, 2012 – Imagine a ‘North American’ customs agent inspecting your luggage as you return from your European vacation. According to a report in the Globe and Mail, a top U.S. Homeland Security official says it could happen.
A Perimeter Approach To Security And The Transformation Of The U.S.-Canada Border – Counter Currents, March 14, 2012 – Through a series of bilateral meetings, U.S. and Canadian officials are busy working out the details of the perimeter security action plan. This includes a recent joint crime forum which dealt with border and law enforcement issues. These various discussions are part of the implementation process which when finished would bring about the complete transformation of the northern border and another step closer in the creation of a fully integrated North American security perimeter.
NAFTA Triumverate Moves to Further Cement Continental Union – Pacific Free Press, April 10, 2012 – On April 2, President Barack Obama hosted Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon for the sixth North American Leaders Summit….In their joint communique, the leaders recognized, “the growing regional and federal cooperation in the area of continental energy, including electricity generation… They emphasized the need to deepen, “cooperation to enhance our collective energy security, including the safe and efficient exploration and exploitation of resources.”….Mexico’s drug war is increasingly being seen as a continental problem that requires continental solutions which is further pushing the NAFTA partnership into a common security front. This is escalating the militarization of the borders, integration in areas of law enforcement and the military, as well as advancing the development of a North American security perimeter.
Civil liberties, privacy groups cry foul as PM hails historic border deal
– Vancouver Observer (Canada), Dec. 7, 2011 – “Basically, it’s surrendering a lot of decision-making on who is legitimate and who isn’t, who is allowed into the country or not — it’s surrendering to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” said Stuart Trew, trade campaigner with the Council of Canadians….The deal includes sharing intelligence on people entering and leaving both countries, identifying “radicalized” individuals as security concerns, allowing U.S. and Canadian armed police to operate on cross-border teams, sharing a single perimeter for cargo screening and speeding up border crossings with fast lanes and more easily accessed pass-cards.
U.S., Canada forge new inspection agreement – Buffalo News, October 9, 2012 – American inspectors will assess vehicles in Ontario before reaching Peace Bridge….though the details of allowing armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection officers to operate in Canada – a major sticking point in previous negotiations – have yet to be determined.
Plan speeds flow of goods to U.S.Minister unable to provide cost of ‘inspected once, cleared twice’ pilot project
The Province (Canada), October 22, 2012 – Canada Border Services Agency personnel will inspect cargo and secure it with high-security bolt seals, negating the need for another inspection at the U.S. border.
A New Chapter of NAFTA Unfolds – Financial Post (National Post – Canada), August 29, 2012“San Antonio is the hub of NAFTA,” says [Mexican Business Association Chairman Eduardo Bravo]. “It…serves as a vital center for NAFTA related surface trade and logistics, with Interstate 35—the Pan American Highway—and Interstate 10 providing unparalleled distribution access for every direction in North America.”
Do we really want U.S. police working on Canadian soil?  – Victoria Times Colonist, August 26, 2012 – Maybe concerns got lost in the Olympic news tidal wave, or maybe nobody cared. But it is a fact that the Integrated Cross Border Law Enforcement Operations Act became law in Canada with only whispers of public doubts. The new law enables armed United States law enforcement officers to cross the Canadian border in pursuit of American lawbreakers. And, once across the line, grants them “the same power to enforce an act of Parliament as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”
Big business attends perimeter talks in Washington – Embassy (Canada), Feb. 8, 2012 – New information has emerged on the perimeter security plan between Canada and the United States, with hundreds of government and industry representatives meeting in Washington last week….The jam-packed, day-long Jan. 31 meeting covered everything from agriculture and food to pharmaceuticals, veterinary drugs, emission standards, transportation, nanotechnology, disease, vehicle safety standards, and occupational safety issues….The border action plan announced in December indicates that by the end of last month, Canada and the United States would “determine the way ahead” on how to share information and evidence between their police forces and intelligence agencies.

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