OSCE HOLDS BORDER SECURITY SEMINAR IN BOSNIA

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia (October 24,2008) - A seminar in the northern Bosnian cirt of Banja Luka began yesterday aimed at strengthening border security procedures.The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Bosnian State Agency for Identification Documents, Data Registers and Data Exchange organized the two-day training seminar, the OSCE said.

Security experts from around the world came to take part in the seminar designed to support Bosnia's new passport and identity card system. Officials say border police and criminal investigation authorities are undergoing training on methods and modernized techniques to ensure border security.

"An upgrade to a new travel document provides a good opportunity to modernize and secure the handling and issuance process," OSCE representative Dimitar Jalnev, said in a statement.

"A vital tool in this regard is the development of a modern, secure, transparent and comprehensive civil registration system that safeguards and verifies the identities of citizens," he said
.