U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State (DAS)in Jamaica for Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) Commission
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Julissa Reynoso, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State (DAS) for Central America and the Caribbean, will visit Jamaica as the head of the U.S. delegation to the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) Commission, which will convene its first meeting November 3-4, 2010 in Kingston.
CBSI is a shared partnership between the United States and its Caribbean partners which aims to combat transnational crime and its violent effect on our citizens.
Julissa Reynoso, U.S. Deputy Asst. Sec. of State for Central America and the Caribbean, leads US delegation in Jamaica visit.
The planned meeting will involve high ranking officials of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Dominican Republic, the Jamaican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and the United States.
United States President Barack Obama announced his intent to pursue a security partnership with the Caribbean at the Fifth Summit of the Americas, which was held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in April 2009. Since then, the governments of the Caribbean and the US developed and agreed upon Declaration of Principles, Joint Plan of Action, and Framework for Security Cooperation which outline the scope, objectives, and activities envisioned through this partnership.
The joint initiative (or Commission) is built on three strategic objectives: substantially reduce illicit drug trafficking, advance public safety and security, and promote social justice. At the November meeting, the Commission will establish Technical Working Groups and discuss ways to implement a Joint Plan of Action. The Commission will soon begin preparing for the Second Annual Caribbean-US Security Cooperation Dialogue, tentatively scheduled for the first half of 2011.
