[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 145 (Tuesday, November 12, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10846-S10847]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      REMOVAL OF INJUNCTION OF SECRECY--TREATY DOCUMENT NO. 107-18

  Mr. REID. Madam President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous 
consent that the injunction of secrecy be removed from the following 
treaty transmitted to the Senate on November 12, 2002, by the President 
of the United States: Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism, 
Treaty Document No. 107-18.
  I further ask unanimous consent that the treaty be considered as 
having been read the first time; that it be referred, with accompanying 
papers, to the Committee on Foreign Relations and ordered to be 
printed; and that the President's message be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The message of the President is as follows:

To the Senate of the United States: 
  With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to 
ratification, I transmit herewith, the Inter-American Convention 
Against Terrorism, adopted at the Thirty-Second Regular Session of the 
OAS General Assembly meeting in Bridgetown, Barbados, on June 3, 2002, 
and opened for signature on that date. At that time it was signed by 30 
of the 33 members attending the meeting, including the United States. 
It has subsequently been signed by another two member states, leaving 
only two states that have not yet signed. In addition, I transmit 
herewith, for the information of the Senate, the report of the 
Department of State.
  The negotiation of the inter-American Convention Against Terrorism 
(the ``Convention'') was a direct response to the terrorist attacks on 
the United States on September 11, 2001. At that time, the OAS was 
meeting in Lima, Peru, to adopt a Democratic Charter uniting all 34 
democracies in the hemisphere. The OAS member states expressed their 
strong commitment to assist the United States in preventing such 
incidents from occurring again anywhere in our hemisphere. Within 10 
days, the foreign ministers of the OAS member states, meeting in 
Washington, D.C., endorsed the idea of drafting a regional convention 
against terrorism. Argentina, Peru, Chile, and Mexico played 
particularly important roles in the development and negotiation of the 
Convention.
  The Convention will advance important United States Government 
interests and enhance hemispheric security by improving regional 
cooperation in the fight against terrorism. The forms of enhanced 
cooperation include exchanges of information, exchanges of experience 
and training, technical cooperation, and mutual legal assistance. The 
Convention is consistent with, and builds upon previous 
counterterrorism instruments and U.N. Security Council Resolution 1373, 
which mandates certain measures to combat terrorism.
  The Convention provides for regional use of a variety of legal tools 
that have proven effective against terrorism and transnational 
organized crime in recent years. Since fighting terrorist financing has 
been identified as an essential part of the fight against terrorism, 
the Convention addresses crucial financial regulatory, as well as 
criminal law, aspects. Existing Federal authority is sufficient to 
discharge the obligations of the United States under this Convention, 
and therefore no implementing legislation will be required.
  In particular, the Convention mandates the establishment of financial 
intelligence units for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of 
terrorist financing information and the establishment and enhancement 
of channels of communication between law enforcement authorities for 
secure and rapid exchange of information concerning all aspects of 
terrorist offenses; the exchange of information to improve border and 
customs control measures to detect and prevent movement of terrorists 
and terrorist-related materials; and technical cooperation and training 
programs.
  The Convention also provides measures relating to the denial of 
refugee or asylum status. In addition, the Convention provides that 
terrorist acts may not be considered ``political'' offenses for which 
extradition or mutual legal assistance requests can be denied, and 
provides for other mechanisms to facilitate mutual legal assistance in 
criminal matters.

[[Page S10847]]

  In sum, the Convention is in the interests of the United States and 
represents an important step in the fight against terrorism. I 
therefore recommend that the Senate give prompt and favorable 
consideration to the Convention, subject to the understandings that are 
described in the accompanying report of the Department of State, and 
give its advice and consent to ratification.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, November 12, 2002.  

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