Ambassador
Ambassador's Speech
REMARKS AT CDI OPENING CEREMONY
CDI Training Conference (DEA hosted)
April 28, 2009
Alejandro I Hotel, Salta
Señor Gobernador Urtubey, Doctor Kosiner, y otros invitados honorables.
Good morning, I am delighted to participate in this opening ceremony today to mark the establishment in Buenos Aires, Argentina, of the CDI Regional Center for the Southern Cone. Minister of Security and Justice, Anibal Fernandez, recently signed an order stipulating that the CDI Regional Center for the Southern Cone will be hosted by the Policia Federal de Argentina in Buenos Aires. The United States government, and the Drug Enforcement Administration especially, appreciates the high level of bilateral cooperation that exists between our two countries, as we work together to fight the scourge of drug trafficking. PFA representatives from the Buenos Aires CDI Regional Center are participating in this conference and will demonstrate how the program has enhanced their investigative capabilities.
The Centers for Drug Information Program is an internet-based network that offers foreign law enforcement counterparts a secure means to coordinate drug-related investigations and share information on drug-related events. Fifty participating countries report to one of six regional centers located in Bogotá, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mexico City, Mexico; Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic; Kabul, Afghanistan and Bangkok, Thailand. Efforts are currently underway to expand the program to include Africa, Europe, and additional countries in Southeast Asia.
CDI participating nations continue to prove that the concept of sharing information pertaining to drug movements, seizures, money laundering, weapons trafficking, clandestine drug laboratories, and other topics of mutual concern leads to operational success. As the relationships between counterparts continue to grow and the volume and value of the shared information increases, CDI participants will see continued growth in the number of investigations initiated, the number of significant arrests, and the amount of seizures that occur as a result of the utilization of CDI during the investigative process.
The CDI program is managed by the Intelligence Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration and it currently supports over 250 users world-wide. We are fortunate to welcome CDI participants from Mexico and Peru today, in addition to the Southern Cone representatives from Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay. The Argentine provinces of Mendoza, Jujuy, and Salta, as well as the newly founded Regional Center in Buenos Aires, are also represented here today.
The CDI program is one piece of a much larger and expanding commitment by the United States to assist its neighbors in the Western Hemisphere in addressing the challenges of public security. At the Fifth Summit of the Americas, held last weekend in Trinidad and Tobago, President Obama emphasized the U.S. Government's commitment to expanding this partnership, calling on his Cabinet officers to, quote, "build and sustain relations with their counterparts in the hemisphere to constantly adjust our tactics, to build upon best practices, and develop new modes of cooperation -- because the United States is a friend of every nation and person who seeks a future of security and dignity. "
I congratulate you all on your successful participation in the CDI program to date. I wish you continued success in the critical war on drugs, and a productive training conference.
