11 December 2001
Text: U.S. Treasury, Interpol Work to Stem Terrorist Financing
(Database on global funding networks to be launched) (560)
The U.S. Treasury and the International Criminal Police Organization
(Interpol) have announced plans to create a terrorist financing
database that will help curb the flow of money to terrorist groups and
assist police in their criminal investigations.
Treasury Under Secretary for Enforcement Jimmy Gurulé and Interpol
Secretary General Ronald K. Noble announced their joint undertaking at
Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France, December 11.
According to a U.S. Treasury news release, both officials were
optimistic that the database could be operational within 60 days.
Noble called on each of Interpol's 179 member countries to identify
information on terrorist financing networks. The database would also
consolidate international and national lists of terrorist financiers
and make it available to law enforcement officials around the world.
"Interpol is committed to both the fight against terrorism and the
funds that make such heinous acts possible" Noble said. "We are
dedicated to the task of shutting down funds earmarked for terror."
Following is the text of the U.S. Treasury news release:
(begin text)
TREASURY NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2001
Interpol and the U.S. Department of Treasury Forge New Partnership in
the Fight Against Terrorist Financing
Meeting at Interpol Headquarters in Lyon, France, on the three month
anniversary of the September 11th attacks, Treasury Under Secretary
for Enforcement Jimmy Gurulé and Interpol Secretary General Ronald K.
Noble announced a new joint Treasury-Interpol partnership to crack
down on terrorist financing.
The two law enforcement officials announced their intention to
establish an international terrorist financing database and Secretary
General Noble publicly called on each of Interpol's 179 member
countries to identify important information regarding the financial
support of terrorism that would also be incorporated into the
database. The Interpol database would consolidate international and
national lists of terrorist financiers and make it available to police
around the world to prevent the flow of funds to terrorist groups and
to assist in criminal investigations.
The Treasury Department will work closely with Interpol to develop the
foundations for this new tool to fight terrorism. "The fight against
terrorist financing can only be successful by pooling together all
available resources to crack down on those choosing to fund acts of
terror against innocent people," said Treasury Under Secretary Gurulé.
"Today Interpol joined us in strengthening that effort by bringing
their law enforcement expertise and global infrastructure to the war
on terrorist financing."
In addition, Secretary General Noble also extended Interpol's full
support to the Treasury Department's operational task force Green
Quest's assignment of a permanent U.S. Interpol agent to the task
force. "Interpol is committed to both the fight against terrorism and
the funds that make such heinous acts possible" said Secretary General
Noble. "We are dedicated to the task of shutting down funds earmarked
for terror. The international law enforcement community looks forward
to partnering with the Treasury Department to develop future tools to
crack down on funds destined for acts of terror and other illegal
purposes." Both officials were optimistic that the terrorist financing
database could be operational within sixty days.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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