By Kimone Witter
Opposition Spokesman on National Security Fitz Jackson says the government has committed to sharing with the opposition, details of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that it recently signed with the United States.
The agreement establishes and formalises the terms under which members of one country’s armed forces may be temporarily present in another country for mutually agreed activities including training exercises.
Speaking at a People’s National Party, Region 4 National Executive Council meeting in Spanish Town on Sunday, Mr. Jackson said he has formally requested a full briefing from National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang “so that the opposition can satisfy itself as to what it is that the government is entering into” including what safeguards and oversight will be in place.
In its statement on SOFA, the National Security Ministry said it was a message to criminal organisations in the region, that the United States Armed Forces and Jamaica Defence Force are committed to deepening and expanding their cooperation including their efforts to fight criminal organisations and narco-terrorists who traffic guns, drugs, and people.
Chairman of PNP Region 4, Denise Daley, and 17 members of the executive were returned unopposed at the NEC meeting.
In the meantime, Mr. Jackson has renewed the demand for the government to publish the Memorandum of Understanding between Jamaica and the US on third-country nationals.
He said it cannot be argued that publishing the MoU poses a security risk, so the opposition remains steadfast in its demand for the document to be made public so the country can “see and know” for itself the terms of the deal.
Following the disclosure of the MoU in June, the administration said the document could not yet be made public as operational procedures had not been finalised.