Bosnia and USA enhancing cooperation in area of security

Bosnia's Security Minister, Dragan Mektic, and US ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Maureen Cormack, Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Intention on the donation of a System for Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding on the prevention of illegal trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive materials between the Bosnia's Council of Ministers and the U.S. Government.

The Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES) will allow Bosnia’s Border police to identify suspicious travelers on the spot as is can run them through the existing list of suspicious persons and official records of suspects of the European joint police, Interpol.

The system will also enable Bosnian authorities to collect, compare and analyze data for investigation purposes. In cooperation with Bosnia's Council of Ministers, the US government aims to install and maintain all the hardware and software required for the PISCES system to operate - starting with the International airport Sarajevo and later expanding to other airports and border crossings in the country.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry for Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the U.S. Department of Energy creates a framework for the prevention of illegal trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive materials. The US Department of Energy will supply the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina with equipment needed for detecting radiation and provide the required staff training.

The Directorate will use the donated equipment and materials exclusively for the purposes of preventing illegal trafficking of nuclear and other radio-active materials, Bosnia's Security Ministry said.