STRENGTHEN LINKS IN BORDER MANAGEMENT, URGES VEEP

Government has urged member states of the Common Market for Eastern
and Southern Africa (Comesa) Free Trade Area to strengthen cooperation
in border management to prevent cross-border crime.

Vice-President Nevers Mumba made the call during the official opening
of the first meeting of Comesa committee of ministers of home affairs
held at the Comesa secretariat in Lusaka yesterday.

"The majority of our people crossing the borders are law-abiding
citizens and while we make efforts to ease their movements across the
borders, we need to ensure that persons that seek to take advantage of
our cooperation to perpetrate criminal acts, such as smuggling and
illicit drug trafficking are deterred," Dr Mumba said.

He implored the member countries to put in place measures to control
and prevent criminal activities on border areas.

He observed that escalated border crime activities required collective
prevention and prosecution of offenders.

He said Zambia's long border required immense human and financial
resources to manage it effectively.

Dr Mumba advised that to avoid the duplication of already existing
multilateral arrangements, member states should focus on intensifying
exchange of information on cross-border crime to effectively combat
it.

Ahead of the Comesa heads of state and government meeting to be held
in Kampala, Uganda in June this year, Dr Mumba commended the regional
organisation for enhancing economic, political and social
integration.

On the advancement of free trade policies, he said the removal of
trade barriers needed to be complemented with the removal of
non-tariff barriers, which he said blocked the business sector.

Comesa secretary general, Erastus Mwencha said that tariff and
non-tariff were an impediment to regional economic
integration.

Mr Mwencha said the promotion of the free movement of people engaged
in trade within the region should be supported as it also promoted
tourism among members.

He bemoaned the limited involvement of ministers of home affairs in
Comesa towards ensuring that the process of implementation the 1984
Protocol on the gradual relaxation and eventual elimination of visa
requirements is implemented within the region.