UAE signs agreement with Germany to fight crime

The UAE and Germany yesterday signed a security cooperation agreement to combat major crimes.

Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, and Otto Schily, German Interior Minister, signed the agreement.

The 10-page agreement establishes a framework and broad outline for cooperation in the fight against crime and its prevention.

It provides for cooperation in the fields of prevention and fight against the illegal trade in weapons, live ammunition, explosives, and nuclear, chemical, biological and radioactive materials. It also stipulates cooperation in the area of fighting infiltration, illegal immigration and all types of human trafficking.

The comprehensive agreement, which covers all aspects of criminal and security matters, makes the two countries partners in the fight against money laundering, drugs, counterfeit currencies and economic, financial and cyber crime.

It also covers crimes related to violation of space and port security as well as car crime and intellectual property crimes and piracy.

The agreement also stipulates cooperation in case of any criminal act being committed or prepared against any part of both countries.

Interior ministries in both countries shall coordinate with ministries and other parties. They include ministries of Information and Culture, Health, Finance and Industry, the Central Bank and the General Headquarters of Armed Forces and Customs.

The agreement empowers the sending of officials and experts if necessary and also provides the exchange of information and criminal evidence.

It enhances training between the two countries. The agreement also provides a number of scholarships.

Under article 10, the agreement pledges to secure travel documents and protect them from all kinds of forgery and ensure the compliance of travel documents with international security standards recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

The agreement will ease the movement of each country's citizens from and to the other country.