    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [January 22, 2008]
    [Pages 106-107]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to the Senate Transmitting the Republic of Bulgaria-United
    States Extradition Treaty and Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in
    Criminal Matters
    January 22, 2008

    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 Extradition Treaty between the
    Government of the United States of America and the Government of the
    Republic of Bulgaria (the ``Extradition Treaty'' or the ``Treaty'') and
    the Agreement on Certain Aspects of Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal
    Matters between the Government of the United States of America and the
    Government of the Republic of Bulgaria (the ``MLA Agreement''), both
    signed at Sofia on September 19, 2007. I also transmit, for the
    information of the Senate, the report of the Department of State with
    respect to the Extradition Treaty and the MLA Agreement.
        The new Extradition Treaty would replace the outdated Extradition
    Treaty between the United States and Bulgaria, signed in Sofia on March
    19, 1924, and the Supplementary Extradition Treaty, signed in Washington
    on June 8, 1934. The MLA Agreement is the first agreement between the
    two countries on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. Both the
    Extradition Treaty and the MLA Agreement fulfill the requirements for
    bilateral instruments (between the United States and each European Union
    (EU) Member State) that are contained in the Extradition and Mutual
    Legal Assistance Agreements between the United States and the EU
    currently before the Senate.
        The Extradition Treaty follows generally the form and content of
    other extradition treaties recently concluded by the United States. It
    would replace an outmoded list of extraditable offenses with a modern
    ``dual criminality'' approach, which would enable extradition for such
    offenses as money laundering, and other newer offenses not appearing on
    the list. The Treaty also contains a modernized ``political offense''
    clause, and it provides that extradition shall not be refused based on
    the nationality of a person sought for any of a comprehensive list of
    serious offenses. Finally, the new Treaty incorporates a series of
    procedural improvements to streamline and speed the extradition process.

    [[Page 107]]

        Because the United States and Bulgaria do not have a bilateral
    mutual legal assistance treaty in force between them, the MLA Agreement
    is a partial treaty governing only those issues regulated by the U.S.-EU
    Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement, specifically: identification of bank
    information, joint investigative teams, video-conferencing, expedited
    transmission of requests, assistance to administrative authorities, use
    limitations, confidentiality, and grounds for refusal. This approach is
    consistent with that taken with the other EU Member States (Denmark,
    Finland, Malta, Portugal, Slovak Republic, and Slovenia) with which the
    United States did not have an existing mutual legal assistance treaty.
        I recommend that the Senate give early and favorable consideration
    to the Extradition Treaty and MLA Agreement, along with the U.S.-EU
    Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements and the other related
    bilateral instruments between the United States and European Union
    Member States.

                                                              George W. Bush

     The White House,

     January 22, 2008.

    Note: This message was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    January 23.