27 June 2006
Cooperation Needed in Terror Fight, U.S. Attorney General Says
Gonzales supports U.S., Israeli cooperation with Middle East, world
Washington -- Fighting terrorism and international crime demands international cooperation, and the United States and Israel "must continue to cooperate closely with each other and with our partners in the Middle East, Europe, and around the world," says U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
In remarks delivered June 27 at Tel Aviv University in Israel, Gonzales acknowledged that both Israel and the United States "each might face our own domestic challenges" and "require unique solutions" in fighting terrorism and other crime. But, he said, "the mandate for international cooperation and joint law enforcement efforts is stronger today than ever before. We therefore must embrace multilateral solutions to the challenge of transnational crime."
The U.S. attorney general is visiting Israel and other countries in the Middle East to emphasize this message: "Prevailing over the forces of terror and transnational crime requires a strong and continued partnership, not only between America and Israel, but among all peace-loving nations around the world."
"I have come to build and strengthen the relationships that are critical to our mutual security," he said. "And I have come to discuss the ways in which we can improve our collaboration for the benefit of all our citizens."
Gonzales said he has seen firsthand how international cooperation can disrupt violent and extremist conspiracies, degrade their ability to commit terrorist acts and ultimately bring terrorists to justice.
"(I)n the fight against transnational crime," he said, "international cooperation can help to defeat organized crime, capture and extradite fugitives, reduce global corruption, and stem the flow of illegal drugs across our borders."
Other areas that require international cooperation among law enforcement, he said, include efforts to stem human trafficking, child pornography, intellectual property theft and cyber crime.
To establish day-to-day working relationships among law enforcement officials worldwide, Gonzales said the U.S. Department of Justice has posted Federal Bureau of Investigation attachés at various embassies around the world and sent Department of Justice prosecutors to dozens of countries to provide assistance with prosecuting all types of transnational crime, including terrorism offenses.
Gonzales said the United States has more than 150 mutual legal assistance and extradition agreements, which are a central component of its international law enforcement strategy on a wide range of issues.
One of the top priorities of U.S. law enforcement, Gonzales said, is fighting corruption, which he said links terrorism and transnational crime.
The United States, he said, aggressively is investigating violations of our Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which makes it illegal for U.S. companies and individuals doing business overseas to bribe foreign officials. He added that the United States also is "working extremely hard to root out bribery in the Iraq reconstruction process."
The U.S. departments of State and Justice, he said, are working with international partners to build and strengthen the ability of prosecutors around the world to fight corruption.
Additionally, he said, the United States is working within the framework of international organizations such as the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to help other countries fight corruption.
"The OECD Anti-bribery Convention and the OECD Working Group on Bribery, for example, provide important avenues to cooperate with our counterparts to combat bribery in international business transactions," he said.
For more information, see Response to Terrorism and Bribery and Corruption.
The full text of Gonzales' remarks is available at the Department of Justice Web site.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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