Guatemala, September 27, 2011. Jeremy Browne, British Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, met in London on September 26, 2011 with Francisco Dall'Anese, head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), to discuss the work of CICIG in Guatemala, the challenges it faces, and regional security concerns that could affect domestic security in Guatemala.

The visit of Commissioner Dall'Anese to London was coordinated by the British Embassy in Guatemala and it included meetings with members of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the British Attorney General's Office, political analysts and the media.

At the end of the meeting, Jeremy Browne said:

"I again had the pleasure today of meeting head of CICIG Francisco Dall'Anese and I reiterated the support of the Government of the United Kingdom for the work undertaken by the Commission in Guatemala. CICIG, in a highly complicated environment, works to tackle organized crime, strengthen security and justice, and improve the human rights situation in the country."

"The insecurity, violence and organized crime problem faced by Guatemala is well-known. These issues affect the region as a whole, preventing it from achieving adequate development and growth levels. The United Kingdom is determined to support Central America in this fight. Therefore, we accepted the invitation to join the Group of Friends of the Central American Integration System (SICA). Our work with SICA will also become one of the priorities of the new British Embassy in El Salvador, which will be opened at the beginning of 2012."

Recently, Minister Browne stated that the commitment of the United Kingdom to Latin America is "stronger than ever". Details of the speech can be found at: http://ukinguatemala.fco.gov.uk/es/news/?view=PressR&id=660687782

For more information on the work of the British Embassy in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, contact Eduardo.Smith@fco.gov.uk or call +502 4769-8729. Alternatively, you can visit the Facebook page, British Embassy Guatemala City.