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WHAT WOULD GEORGE WASHINGTON SAY?
Trinidad government wants closer security
links with Israel By STEPHEN CUMMINGS PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — The Trinidad and Tobago government is seeking closer links on security matters with the government of Israel. High level security talks have been held between Trinidadian Prime Minister Patrick Manning and out-going Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon. Prime Minister Manning who was on a visit to Israel is looking for that country’s help in finding more ways of protecting the Trinidad and Tobago borders from drug and gun trafficking, which Prime Minister Manning says is one of the main causes of crime in Trinidad and Tobago. The visit to Israel follows ongoing discussions and the purchase from that country of a 360-degree radar system to monitor Trinidad and Tobago’s coastal waters. High-speed interceptor boats, armed helicopters, closed-circuit TV cameras on some streets along with a reorganized police service and support from the army and coast guard are all part of a massive security plan the government’s hopes to put in place to fight crime. Prime Minister Manning is also due to attend a Commonwealth Heads of Government conference in Malta, followed by another meeting in London with British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. Among the items for discussion are trade, economic, security and HIV/AIDS related matters relative to the region and the wider international community.
The
new Israeli outpost is not the first overseas base the Jewish state
has established in the Western Hemisphere. It already maintains a
powerful presence in Washington, where it exercises de facto control
of all three branches of the U.S. government. There is some speculation
that the real reason for this newest Israeli move is to counter the
anti-Zionist regime of populist President Hugo Chávez in Venezuela. |
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