ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:95102308.LAR
DATE:10/23/95
TITLE:23-10-95 US INITIATIVES AGAINST INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME
TEXT:
TR95102308 (White House fact sheet on crime initiatives) (800)
WASHINGTON -- Following is the text of a fact sheet released Oct. 22
by the White House:
US INITIATIVES AGAINST INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME
WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET
Oct. 22, 1995
In his speech to the 50th UN General Assembly, the President outlined
5 new steps that the United States is taking to address international
organized crime.
1. No Trade With International Narcotics Traffickers Centered in
Colombia and Their Front Companies:
The President announced that he had signed an Executive Order
utilizing the authority of the International Emergency Economic Powers
Act (IEEPA). The order finds that the activities of significant
foreign narcotics traffickers centered in Colombia, including the
so-called Cali cartel, constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat
to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United
States. These traffickers are responsible for more than 80 percent of
the cocaine entering the United States. Moreover, they destabilize
regional economies and produce violence and corruption everywhere they
operate. The President has ordered that the leaders, cohorts, and
front companies of these traffickers be identified and their assets in
the U.S. blocked. U.S. individuals and companies will then be barred
from trading with those identified individuals and front companies.
The President has also ordered that evidence be developed against
other international criminal groups and their front companies so that
further action may be taken as appropriate.
2. Money Laundering Centers:
The President announced that he has instructed the Secretaries of the
Treasury and State and the Attorney General to identify and notify the
nations which are most egregious in facilitating criminal money
laundering that they should enter into bilateral or multilateral
arrangements to conform to international standards. Such standards
have been established by the 28-member Financial Action Task Force. If
these nations do not enter into such agreements and implement laws
against money laundering, the Secretary of the Treasury, after
consulting with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, will
recommend to the President whether economic sanctions should be
applied. Among the sanctions available is the prohibition of
electronic fund transfers and dollar clearing to financial
institutions in the subject country. Secretary Rubin will be
co-chairing a meeting of hemispheric Treasury/Finance Ministers in
Buenos Aires in December on the issue of money laundering.
3. International Declaration:
The President called for the negotiation of an international
Declaration on Citizens' Security and Combating International
Organized Crime. In such a Declaration nations would join in a series
of international commitments to deny sanctuary to terrorists,
narcotics traffickers, and other international organized criminals and
provide mutual assistance in investigations of such crimes.
International agreements already exist in many of these areas and now
arrangements should be forged where they do not.
4. Legislative Tools:
The President has directed the Attorney General and the Secretaries of
State and of the Treasury to develop a legislative package of new
authorities which U.S. government agencies believe they need to better
investigate and prosecute all aspects of international organized
crime. The U.S. legislative proposal would also provide additional
sanctions authority against those governments which cooperate with or
provide sanctuary for international organized crime. This effort is
the result of a comprehensive review ordered by the President last
year.
5. International Assistance:
The President directed that the new U.S. legislative package include
authorization for providing increased U.S. training and assistance to
friendly governments to help them in their efforts to combat
international organized crime affecting their own and other countries
around the globe.
6. Counterterrorism:
The Administration has made counterterrorism one of its highest
priorities. Since taking officer the Administration has:
-- Arrested and brought back to the U.S. to stand trial terrorists
hiding in Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Jordan, and Egypt.
-- Made swift arrests following both of the major terrorist incidents
that have taken place in the U.S. (World Trade Center and Oklahoma
City).
-- Broken up two major attacks on the U.S. that were about to take
place, before they could happen (New York: UN and Holland tunnel;
Manila: US flag 747s)
-- Exercised unilateral military action against a country whose
intelligence service we found to have attempted to organize a
terrorist act against a former President (Iraqi plot against President
Bush).
-- Extended economic sanctions to Iran and Sudan for their sponsorship
of terrorism.
-- Prevented the loosening of sanctions against Libya and Iraq, both
states on the list of stats sponsors of terrorism.
-- Assisted other nations in their apprehension of major terrorist
figures.
-- Banned fund-raising for Middle East terrorists in the United
States.
-- Increased personnel and other resources for counter-terrorism.
-- Proposed an expansion of legal authorities for counter-terrorism.
NNNN
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