    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
    [December 12, 1993]
    [Pages 2155-2156]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Organized Crime in the United States and Italy
    December 12, 1993

        In the ongoing struggle against the Mafia and other international
    crime syndicates, the United States renews its pledge of solidarity with
    and support for the Government and people of Italy. Organized crime is a
    scourge that has exacted a terrible toll in both our nations, a toll in
    lives ravaged by narcotics, brutalized by violence, destroyed by murder.
        The Government of the United States, like the Government of Italy,
    is committed to fighting back, to reclaiming our streets, and to
    punishing those whose criminal conduct tears at the fabric of our
    societies and threatens the lives of our citizens. Accordingly, I am
    directing the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury
    to do all they can to strengthen the cooperation between American and
    Italian law enforcement.
        As evidence of our resolve, Louis Freeh, Director of the Federal
    Bureau of Investigation, and Ronald K. Noble, Assistant Secretary for
    Enforcement in the Department of the Treasury, are in Italy this weekend
    for high-level meetings with Italian authorities to discuss new steps we
    can take to combat organized crime. Director Freeh and Assistant
    Secretary Noble are speaking today in Palermo on these joint law
    enforcement efforts. They will underscore the debt that we and all
    nations owe to Judge Giovanni Falcone, the courageous jurist murdered
    while leading the fight against the Italian Mafia, and to the scores of
    other brave Italians who put their lives on the line every day in the
    battle against organized crime.
        The United States Government was pleased that we were able to assist
    Italy in the search for Judge Falcone's murderers. FBI laboratory
    experts facilitated the processing of DNA evi-

    [[Page 2156]]

    dence at the crime scene in Sicily. Their help proved to be a crucial
    factor leading to the recent filing of charges against a large number of
    suspects.
        Director Freeh is also carrying our message of commitment and
    cooperation to Italian law enforcement officials. Their sustained and
    determined assistance has helped American law enforcement officials make
    real and tangible progress against the Mafia in the United States.