21.   The tri-border region, considered a haven for arms traffickers, smugglers and counterfeiters, is a porous area where passport checks are rare.

22.   Under the Schengen treaty, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands agree to end passport checks for nationals from these nations.

23.   Zeidan said the exercise covered arrival and departure procedures, including passport checks as well as customs and luggage inspection.

24.   The Schengen accords remove passport checks at borders between the seven signatory countries -- France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, and Portugal.