Bolivia, Brazil sign agreement to fight border drug trafficking

Bolivia and Brazil Monday inked a memorandum of understanding to strengthen joint efforts in fighting drug trafficking along their borders. The agreement would promote cooperation in fighting drug trafficking and other organized crimes, Brazil's visiting Defense Minister Celso Amorim said. According to the agreement signed by Amorim and his Bolivian counterpart Ruben Saavedra, the armed forces of both countries will hold periodical meetings to coordinate on technical and operation issues for their mutual benefit. It also ratified operations of Brazil's unmanned aerial vehicles along the two countries' borders. Saavedra said both governments agreed to continue building a peaceful region with permanent coordination and integration between their armed forces. Brazil would support its neighbor with radars, airplanes as well as unmanned aerial vehicles to safeguard the airspace of the two countries' border areas and crack down on illegal activities, Amorim said. The minister added that dialogue, integration and cooperation from the two sides, in line with the framework of the Union of South American Nations and of the South American Defense Council, were important to consolidate peace and security along the borders.