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Press Release

SIGNING OAS TREATY, GUYANA RENEWS COMMITMENT
TO FIGHTING ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES

In formally signing on to the Inter-American Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, the government of Guyana today renewed its commitment “to confront illegal activities in unity with other states in the hemisphere and reinforces respect for the rule of law as a fundamental value of the inter-American system.”

Ambassador Bayney R. Karran, Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, signed the (OAS) treaty on his government’s behalf, along with Assistant Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin. “Guyana’s signing of this convention will contribute to building security in our hemisphere,” said Ambassador Karran, noting that “at a time when many states of the hemisphere face unprecedented threats to their security through growing sophistication in transnational criminal activities, such as the illegal drug trade and trafficking in arms, it is highly opportune for states to render to one another mutual assistance in criminal matters.”
Elaborating, Karran observed that since the convention was adopted in 1992, it has “buttressed the provisions of Article 2.e of the Charter of the OAS, which establishes as an essential objective ‘the solution of political, juridical and economic problems that may arise among the American states’.” Under the OAS treaty, the states commit to cooperate in investigations, prosecutions, and proceedings that pertain to crimes over which a requesting state has jurisdiction. This convention does not authorize any state party to undertake, in the territory of another state party, the exercise of jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Secretary General hailed today’s signing as an “expression of the ongoing commitment of Guyana to this organization.” He noted as well that many of the treaty’s issues concerning cooperation have been put on the agenda of the Ministers of Justice Meeting. He stressed that “these issues get full attention” because crime itself, including illegal firearms trafficking, has an impact on countries’ socio-economic climate. Ambassador Ramdin argued that by placing emphasis on these issues, “the OAS expresses its relevance” to its member countries.

Ramdin also urged those member states that have not yet signed the treaty to do so as soon as possible, reiterating that crime does not care about borders, and hence “we need to cooperate among ourselves.”
With Guyana, 20 member states have now signed the Inter-American Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, which entered into force April 1996. Eighteen member states have ratified.

Reference: E-043/06