PANAMA CITY, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Ministers of some Latin American countries Monday started a four-day ministerial meeting aimed at fighting terrorism and transnational organized crime in Panama.

    The representative of terrorism prevention branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Mauro Miedico, told Xinhua that this forum will serve to coordinate legislation and operative measures in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.

    "Terrorism and organized crime have a phenomenon that transcends the borders of countries, thus need to give common response," Miedico said.

    Miedico also warned that corruption is a cancer that can weaken the ability of official institutions to combat drug trafficking, gun-running and other transnational crime.

    "Terrorism can affect everybody. No matter if they are developed nations or developing ones, it is an invisible enemy that causes losses of lives and economy," Panamanian Vice Foreign Minister Ricardo Duran said.

    Duran said the states that face this kind of threat have to modernize their current legislation under the international norms to make themselves meet challenges of transnational crime.

    During the conference, the Latin American ministers and prosecutors will discuss human rights, police cooperation, national strategies, and the prevention of funding organized crime.

    The first such conference was held in April 2006 and ended with the Declaration of Panama.

    The regional forum admitted two new participants, Mexico and Peru, this year.