Arab states share border concerns

ABU DHABI // New ways to bolster border security are being examined at a meeting in the capital. Greater co-operation on border security issues across the Arab world is being discussed by representatives from countries including the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan at a three-day symposium that opened yesterday. Lt Col Mohammed Beddah, of Abu Dhabi Police and a member of the symposium's organising committee, said more co-ordination was needed on border control issues, as well as in facilitating the safe entry of people and goods. "We are working to organise the relationship between security authorities in the Arab world, including at different land, air and sea entry points," he said. "Through the papers presented we will be looking for new ideas, modern technologies and how to benefit from the experience of other countries." In a paper presented yesterday, Gharib al Hosani, of the Ministry of Interior, outlined some of the security challenges facing officials at the UAE's 27 air, land and sea entry points, as well as what the country had done to secure its borders against attacks, smuggling and illegal immigration. Technological advances in the field of border security are also on the agenda. Several delegates cited the UAE's introduction of iris scanning at all land, sea and air borders in 2003 as a particularly successful initiative that had since been adopted by other countries in the region. In 2007, police at the Abu Dhabi International Airport also began using full-face scanning equipment to identify individuals. The system has since been rolled out to all air, sea and land ports and deportation centres, the paper said. The symposium, entitled Security of Land, Sea and Air Exit-Entry Points, was convened by the Riyadh-based Naif Arab University for Security Sciences and Abu Dhabi Police's centre of research and security studies. It is one of several conferences organised every year by the university, which receives funding from ministries of interior across the Arab world. Prof Abdul al Shaer, the dean of the Naif University's graduate college, said one of the most pressing regional border security problems was illegal immigration. Yesterday, panelists also discussed some unique security challenges, including ones faced by Saudi Arabia during haj and umrah, when millions of people flock to the country across various borders. "Human trafficking across borders as well as the movement of terrorist groups, these are crucial issues to prevent," Prof al Shaer said. "Also haj is a big chance for people to jump or do something like trafficking or terrorism as it is so hard to control all of those people, especially in such a large country." At the end of the conference, a series of recommendations will be issued and distributed to the ministries of interior in all Arab countries. "Then we are expecting a reaction and feedback from them within two months," Prof al Shaer said. The presentation of papers on border security issues continues today, with the final recommendations scheduled to be released tomorrow. [e-mail]