Non-Aligned Movement welcomes Guyana-Venezuela commission Voices concern over illicit weapons trafficking Stabroek News April 14, 2000 Foreign ministers of non-aligned countries meeting at their 13th ministerial conference in Colombia last weekend welcomed the initiative by Guyana and Venezuela to enhance cooperation via a high-level bilateral commission set up in March last year. Representing Guyana were Foreign Affairs minister, Clement Rohee, and Guyana's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador S.R. Insanally, the Guyana Embassy in Havana said in a press statement on Monday. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) conference, pronouncing on the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy, supported the continued commitment of the two countries to find a solution. They also applauded the decision of the parties to avail themselves of the good offices of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Kofi Anan, and his special representative, UN Good Officer, Oliver Jackman, in order to reach a final settlement in compliance with the Geneva Agreement of 1966. The NAM conference was opened by Colombian president, Andres Pastrana. Rohee called on the NAM to "press the G-8 countries when they meet in Tokyo, Japan next year to harness and humanise globalisation and trade liberalisation." He added that "South-South cooperation must be pursued on its own merits and must form an integral part of our discussions and negotiations with our partners of the North." The NAM welcomed the the G-8 Cologne Debt Initiative on Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) as a movement in the right direction, whilst urging the IMF to explore new mechanisms for funding debt relief measures. They urged creditor countries to facilitate the implementation of the HIPC initiative for debt reduction by broadening the number of eligible countries and making the established conditions more flexible. Further, they called for the immediate elimination of all political measures prohibiting the access of some developing countries to the resources of the international financial institutions by certain developed countries. Recognising the tremendous difficulties faced by low income countries which have serviced their debt obligations at high costs, they urged the international community to take the situation of those countries into account in any comprehensive package of measures to resolve the external debt problems of developing countries. Meanwhile, the NAM expressed full support for the convening by the UN of an international conference next year against the illicit trafficking in firearms, ammunition, explosives and other related materials. The foreign ministers stated their deep concern over the illicit transfer, manufacture and circulation of small arms and light weapons and their proliferation in many countries with destabilising effects. They also shared the regional and international concern that the easy availability of these weapons does undermine political stability and has a devastating impact on peace and security, the press statement said.