US and 14 Latin American, Caribbean nations launch 'Shield of the Americas' pact against narco-terror groups

Washington, Sep 23 (UNI) The United States joined Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago in unveiling a new regional security and economic initiative dubbed the "Shield of the Americas," aimed at countering narco-terrorist networks across the Western Hemisphere. In a joint statement, the 15 governments said they intended "to strengthen the resilience of the Western Hemisphere" through three pillars: economic cooperation, security, and multilateral coordination. On the economic front, the countries pledged to defend their economies "by enhancing economic cooperation; exploring investment screening mechanisms; safeguarding…