NewsMax Wires
Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004

Robert Bonner, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, said one step involves having European Union members post customs officers at CBP's National Targeting Center in northern Virginia.

Story Continues Below

  That's where U.S. customs officials analyze information on cargo shipments destined for the United States and assess whether a shipment might pose a security risk.

"The advantage is that we will be working side-by-side to exchange information to assist both of us - in both the European Union and the United States - in assessing high-risk containers," Bonner said. He didn't know precisely how many European officials might be stationed at the center, but estimated it could range from two to five people. Bonner said he expects them to be deployed soon.

Bonner also said the United States and the European Union were identifying the best practices in the cargo security arena. He said they would include using sophisticated technology to screen cargo; making sure detailed information on a container's contents is known well before a ship leaves port; and using a system that helps identify potentially risky shipments. U.S. customs officials are already taking steps along these lines.

Another measure calls for a pilot project in which U.S. and European customs authorities would collect and exchange information on cargo - including freight that remains on board a ship - that is carried on vessels passing through a port, Bonner said.

The U.S. Container Security Initiative, meanwhile, has been implemented at 20 European seaports, covering 86 percent of outbound cargo containers that move through Europe and are destined for the United States, Bonner said.

The program allows U.S. customs inspectors to be stationed at foreign ports to screen cargo headed for America and gives participating countries a similar option to put inspectors in the United States.

© 2004 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Editor's note: