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Skriven 2006-02-08 23:33:10 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0602083) for Wed, 2006 Feb 8
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Message To the Congress of the United States
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 8, 2006

Message To the Congress of the United States



MESSAGE TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Consistent with subsection 204(b) of the International Emergency Economic
Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1703(b)(IEEPA), and section 301 of the National
Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1631 (NEA), I hereby report that I have issued
an Executive Order (the "order") blocking the property of certain persons
contributing to the conflict in C“te d'Ivoire. In that order, I declared a
national emergency to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the
national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by that
conflict, as described below.

The United Nations Security Council, in Resolution 1572 of November 15,
2004, expressed deep concern over the resumption of hostilities in C“te
d'Ivoire, the public incitement of hatred and violence, and the repeated
violations of the ceasefire agreement of May 3, 2003. United Nations
Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1572 determined that the situation in
C“te d'Ivoire poses a threat to international peace and security in the
region and called on member States to take certain measures against persons
responsible for the continuing conflict. The United Nations Security
Council has continued to express serious concern at the persistence of the
crisis in C“te d'Ivoire and of obstacles to the peace and national
reconciliation process from all sides in UNSCRs 1643 of December 15, 2005,
and 1652 of January 24, 2006.

Despite the intervention and efforts of the international community, there
have been massacres of large numbers of civilians, widespread human rights
abuses, significant political violence and unrest, and attacks against
international peacekeeping forces in C“te d'Ivoire. Such activity includes
the killing of large numbers of civilians in Korhogo in June 2004, and in
Abidjan in March 2004; significant violence and unrest, including public
incitements to violence, in Abidjan in November 2004; human rights
violations, including extrajudicial killings, in western C“te d'Ivoire in
April and June 2005; attacks on a police station and prison in July 2005 in
Anyama and Agboville, and violent protests in Abidjan and attacks on U.N.
and international nongovernmental organization facilities in western C“te
d'Ivoire in January 2006. Also, notwithstanding the Linas-Marcoussis
Agreement signed by the Ivorian political forces on January 24, 2003, the
related ceasefire agreement of May 3, 2003, the Accra III Agreement of July
30, 2004, the Pretoria Agreement of April 6, 2005, and the Declaration on
the Implementation of the Pretoria Agreement of June 29, 2005,
consolidating the implementation of the Linas Marcoussis peace and national
reconciliation process, Ivorian parties have continued to engage in
military operations and attacks against peacekeeping forces in C“te
d'Ivoire leading to fatalities.

Pursuant to the IEEPA and the NEA, I have determined that these actions and
circumstances constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the
national security and foreign policy of the United States and declared a
national emergency to deal with that threat and have issued an Executive
Order to deal with the threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy
posed by the situation in or in relation to C“te d'Ivoire.

The order blocks the property and interests in property in the United
States, or in the possession or control of United States persons, of the
persons listed in the Annex to the order, as well as of any person
determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the
Secretary of State,
  þ to constitute a threat to the peace and national reconciliation process
    in C“te d'Ivoire, such as by blocking the implementation of the
    Linas-Marcoussis, Accra III, and Pretoria Agreements;
  þ to be responsible for serious violations of international law in C“te
    d'Ivoire;
  þ to have directly or indirectly supplied, sold or transferred to C“te
    d'Ivoire arms or any related materiel or any assistance, advice, or
    training related to military activities; or
  þ to have publicly incited violence and hatred contributing to the
    conflict in C“te d'Ivoire.

The designation criteria will be applied in accordance with applicable
domestic law, including where appropriate, the First Amendment to the
United States Constitution.

The order also authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation
with the Secretary of State, to designate for blocking any person
determined to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial,
material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of,
the activities listed above or any person listed in or designated pursuant
to the order. I further authorized the Secretary of the Treasury, after
consultation with the Secretary of State, to designate for blocking any
person determined to be owned or controlled by, or acting or purporting to
act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person listed in or
designated pursuant to the order. The Secretary of the Treasury, after
consultation with the Secretary of State, is also authorized to remove any
persons from the Annex to the order as circumstances warrant.

I delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the
Secretary of State, the authority to take such actions, including the
promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to
the President by the IEEPA and the United Nations Participation Act, as may
be necessary to carry out the purposes of the order. All executive agencies
are directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to
carry out the provisions of the order.

The order, a copy of which is enclosed, became effective at 12:01 a.m.
eastern standard time on February 8, 2006.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

February 8, 2006.

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