6 September 2002
Source:
http://usinfo.state.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/latest&f=02090406.wlt&t=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml
US Department of State
International Information Programs
Washington File
_________________________________
04 September 2002
(Remarks by Deputy Treasury Secretary Kenneth Dam at signing) (450)
In remarks September 4 at the signing of a new anti-terrorism working
arrangement between U.S. and Swiss law enforcement agencies, Deputy
Treasury Secretary Kenneth Dam praised the new agreement as
groundbreaking and significant because it "confirms the continuing
political commitment of our two nations to the investigation of
possible violations of the criminal laws…relating to the attacks of
September 11, 2001, and to the activities of Al Qaeda and related
terrorist entities."
Following is the text of Dam's statement at the signing ceremony:
(begin text)
Department of the Treasury
Wednesday, September 4, 2002
STATEMENT BY DEPUTY TREASURY SECRETARY KENNETH DAM AT THE SIGNING
CEREMONY OF THE U.S.-SWISS LAW ENFORCEMENT ARRANGEMENT
I am pleased to co-sign with Attorney General Ashcroft and Swiss
Federal Attorney Valentin Roschacher this important "Operative Working
Arrangement" that will enhance the existing bilateral cooperation to
identify and attack the financial underpinnings of Al Qaeda and
related terrorist entities.
This law enforcement instrument authorizes the exchange of law
enforcement agents devoted to the pursuit of "the activities of Al
Qaeda and related terrorist entities" in our respective terrorism task
forces.
Specifically, investigators from Treasury's Operation Green Quest
(OGQ) and the FBI's Terrorist Financial Review Group (TFRG) will be
assigned to the Swiss Task Force ("Terror USA") (STF) located in Bern,
Switzerland, and investigators from the STF similarly will be assigned
to the TFRG and OGQ.
The arrangement signed today further accredits the FBI Legal Attaché
in Bern and the Customs Attaché in Vienna to the Swiss Task Force, and
the Swiss Police Liaison in Washington, D.C. to the FBI's Terrorist
Financial Review Group and to Customs' Operation Green Quest.
A representative from Customs' Operation Green Quest is already at
work in Bern and will soon be joined by a second investigator.
This is a groundbreaking arrangement between our two nations for
several reasons:
1. It allows agents from our two countries working on related
terrorist and terrorist financing investigations to share information
on a real-time basis;
2. It permits hands-on interaction and joint investigations into Al
Qaeda and related terrorist entities that will increase our
opportunities to identify related targets and terrorist networks and
to pursue them in a coordinated way;
3. It highlights the growing interdependence of law enforcement
internationally and provides a model for other countries that have
related investigations ongoing; and
4. It fulfills our commitment to find non-traditional ways of sharing
information and cooperating among law enforcement - especially with
jurisdictions that serve as key financial centers.
This instrument is significant because it confirms the continuing
political commitment of our two nations to the investigation of
possible violations of the criminal laws of the United States and
Switzerland relating to the attacks of September 11, 2001, and to the
activities of Al Qaeda and related terrorist entities.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)