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Rabat - The countries taking part in the 2nd Regional Ministerial Conference on Border Security, which kicked off Thursday in Rabat, agreed to establish a regional center for training officers in charge of border security in the states of the region.

According to the Rabat Declaration, the center aims to capitalize on the expertise of other countries and partners.

The participating countries agreed to accelerate the setting up of a secretariat within the framework of the Tripoli Plan of Action and the Declaration of Rabat. Libya will prepare a proposal on the structure of the secretariat, which will be presented to the members meeting to be held in Tripoli, in a period not exceeding two months from the date of the adoption of the Declaration of Rabat.

They also agreed to set up working groups on security, intelligence, customs and justice to draft proposals in these areas prior to the next ministerial conference, to be held in 2014 in Egypt.

The participants called for the implementation of priority projects on border security, taking into account all the relevant strategies and initiatives presented by various United Nations agencies, international and regional organizations as well as all the mechanisms the fight against terrorism and transnational organized crime.

The participants at the Rabat conference also agreed on the need to build the capacity of countries in the region in terms of equipment and new technologies to help them better secure borders.

The second regional ministerial conference on border security is marked by the participation of foreign ministers, ministers in charge of security issues in the countries of North Africa and the Sahel- Sahara region, as well as representatives of regional and international institutions.

The conference is be attended by Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta, the USA, and the UK, the same source said.

Several international and regional organizations are taking part in this meeting, such as the UN, the AMU, the Arab League, the European Union, NATO, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN -SAD), the organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, and the Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya.

The Rabat conference is be also attended by experts representing mainly the World Customs Organization, the International Organization for Migration, the Executive Board of the Committee against Terrorism, the Interpol, the International Civil Aviation Organization, and the United Nations Office against Drugs and organized Crime.

The Rabat conference is part of the monitoring process of the first regional ministerial conference on border security, held on March 11- 12, 2012 in Libya, as well as the implementation follow-up of the "Tripoli plan Action"  with the aim to strengthen security and border control in the region of North Africa and the Sahel-Saharan region.

The conference will culminate in the "Rabat Declaration" which will include proposals and recommendations to achieve the expected goals of border security in the countries of North Africa and the Sahel-Saharan region.

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