INTERNATIONAL ‘QUINTET’ MEETING OF ATTORNEYS-GENERAL
Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, will today travel to Washington for the ‘Quintet’ meeting of Attorneys-General from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
The Quintet of common law countries seeks to share ideas and deal with issues of mutual concern including national security, counter-terrorism, countering violent extremism, organised crime and legal cooperation.
The shared legal tradition and common values of the Quintet means it is uniquely placed to deal with issues from a joint and cooperative perspective.
As part of the Quintet meeting agenda, each representative will lead a discussion on a range of key national security and legal policy issues.
The Attorney will lead discussions aimed at improving the ways Quintet member nations work together to combat organised crime, including:
* increasing coordination and cooperation through a greater sharing of intelligence and information on organised crime threats;
* improving coordination to shape international policy with respect to organised crime and jointly engaging in capacity building initiatives including specialised training and technical assistance;
* enhancing mutual assistance in organised crime prosecutions;
* strengthening arrangements for international legal assistance; and
* committing to a regular international forum to facilitate the exchange of information and experience in relation to combating organised crime.
While in Washington, the Attorney will also conduct meetings with senior officials from the Obama Administration and the United States Congress, including Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Robert S Mueller, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Senator Joseph Lieberman, Special Assistant to the President for Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security, John Brennan, and Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Craig Fugate.
The Attorney will also be briefed on intelligence and cyber security issues by key figures from United States agencies.
