see also: in December 2005 Press Releases:   New SENTRI/Dedicated Commuter Lane to Open at Calexico/Mexicali Port of Entry Thursday   CBP Border Patrol Agents Arrest Homicide Suspect   CBP Border Patrol Agent Saves Two Mexican Nationals From Drowning   U.S. Joins Revised World Customs Organization Convention   One Ton of Marijuana Seized at Nogales Port of Entry   Another Child Smuggling Arrest at Hidalgo Port   CBP Border Patrol Seizes Over a Ton of Marijuana ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Deborah J. Spero and Minister of Finance William Chong Wong and Patricia Panting Galo, Secretary of State in the Office of Natural Resources and the Environment in Honduras announced that the Republic of Honduras will participate in the Container Security Initiative (CSI) for cargo destined to the U.S. through the Port of Cortes to be targeted and pre-screened for terrorists and terrorist weapons.

“CSI is a deterrent to terrorists seeking to use containerized cargo as a conduit for terrorism within the maritime environment. The Republic of Honduras has taken steps to support the Container Security Initiative to safeguard global maritime trade,” said Acting Commissioner Spero. “The CSI security blanket continues to expand and strengthen as it encompasses the Port of Cortes.”

CBP will deploy a team of officers to be stationed at the Port of Cortes to work with Honduran Customs officials to target maritime containers destined for the United States. The Republic of Honduras’ Customs officials, working with CBP officers, will be responsible for screening any containers identified as a potential terrorist risk.

CBP Assistant Commissioner E. Keith Thomson signed the Declaration of Principles (DOP) and Ambassador Charles Ford signed on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Megaports Initiative. William Chong Wong and Patricia Panting Galo, signed on behalf of Honduras.

“This document is an early indication of what the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) will bring: more trade, but more responsibility. Through this agreement, the U.S. and the Government of Honduras will ensure that the many future containers shipped through Puerto Cortes are properly reviewed for hazards that may threaten the U.S. and our primary trading partners,” said Ambassador Ford.

The signing brings large-scale and sophisticated radiological detection equipment to identify nuclear material under the DOE’s MegaPorts Initiative at the Port of Cortes.

Honduras has become the first country in Central America to participate in the Container Security Initiative.

CSI, the screening and targeting of containers at a foreign seaport, did not exist prior to the terrorist attacks of 2001. On average, every day about 25,000 seagoing containers are offloaded at America’s seaports. Former Commissioner Robert C. Bonner, confirmed by Congress shortly after 9/11, made maritime cargo security one of his top priorities. The Container Security Initiative was launched in January 2002. It is a revolutionary and dynamic initiative to secure maritime cargo shipments against the terrorist threat.

Currently, there are 42 operational CSI ports in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and North, South, and Central America. Approximately 75 percent of cargo containers headed to the U.S. originate in or are transshipped from CSI ports.

Under the Container Security Initiative, CBP has entered into bilateral partnerships to identify high-risk maritime cargo containers before they are loaded on vessels destined for the United States. Today, 26 administrations have committed to join CSI and are at various stages of implementation.

CSI is an accepted model of international cooperation to protect the global supply chain against terrorism. CBP’s goal is to have 50 operational CSI ports by the end of 2006. At that time, approximately 90 percent of all transatlantic and transpacific cargo imported into the United States will be subjected to pre-screening.

The World Customs Organization (WCO), the European Union (EU), and the G8, support CSI expansion and have adopted resolutions implementing CSI security measures introduced at ports throughout the world.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.