Text 3103, 106 rader
Skriven 2006-08-10 23:31:14 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0608101) for Thu, 2006 Aug 10
====================================================
===========================================================================
Fact Sheet: National Strategy to Internationalize Efforts Against
Kleptocracy
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
August 10, 2006

Fact Sheet: National Strategy to Internationalize Efforts Against
Kleptocracy


ÿÿÿÿÿ President's Statement on Kleptocracy

Today, The President Unveiled His National Strategy To Internationalize
Efforts Against Kleptocracy, Pledging To Confront High-Level, Large-Scale
Corruption By Public Officials And Target The Proceeds Of Their Corrupt
Acts. This Strategy Is A New Component Of His Plan To Fight Corruption
Around The World. Public corruption erodes democracy, rule of law, and
economic well-being by undermining public financial management and
accountability, discouraging foreign investment, and stifling economic
growth and sustainable development.
  þ Kleptocracy Is A Threat To The Governments And Citizens Of Both
    Developing And Developed Countries. Corruption by senior officials in
    executive, judicial, legislative, or other official positions in
    government can destabilize whole societies and destroy the aspirations
    of their people for a better way of life.

The President's National Strategy To Internationalize Efforts Against
Kleptocracy

This New National Strategy Builds On The President's Commitment Made With
The G-8 Leaders At Their Recent Summit In St. Petersburg. At the G-8
summit, President Bush committed to promote legal frameworks and a global
financial system that will reduce the opportunities for kleptocracies to
develop and to deny safe haven to corrupt officials, those who corrupt
them, and the proceeds of corrupt activity.
  þ The Strategy Has As Its Foundation In The President's Proclamation,
    Made In January 2004, To Generally Deny Entry Into The United States Of
    Persons Engaged In Or Benefiting From Corruption.
  þ The Strategy Advances Many Of The Objectives In The National Security
    Strategy By Mobilizing The International Community To Confront
    Large-Scale Corruption By High-Level Foreign Public Officials And
    Target The Fruits Of Their Ill-Gotten Gains.
  þ The Strategy Reaffirms The President's Commitment To Ensure That
    Integrity And Transparency Triumph Over Corruption And Lawlessness
    Around The World, Expand The Circle Of Prosperity, And Extend America's
    Transformational Democratic Values To All Free And Open Societies.

Specifically, The Strategy Promotes Our Objectives By Committing To:
  þ Launch A Coalition Of International Financial Centers Committed To
    Denying Access And Financial Safe Haven To Kleptocrats. The United
    States Government will enhance its work with international financial
    partners, in the public and private sectors, to pinpoint best practices
    for identifying, tracing, freezing, and recovering assets illicitly
    acquired through kleptocracy. The U.S. will also work bilaterally and
    multilaterally to immobilize kleptocratic foreign public officials
    using financial and economic sanctions against them and their network
    of cronies.
  þ Vigorously Prosecute Foreign Corruption Offenses and Seize Illicitly
    Acquired Assets. In its continuing efforts against bribery of foreign
    officials, the United States Government will expand its capacity to
    investigate and prosecute criminal violations associated with
    high-level foreign official corruption and related money laundering, as
    well as to seize the proceeds of such crimes.
  þ Deny Physical Safe Haven. We will work closely with international
    partners to identify kleptocrats and those who corrupt them, and deny
    such persons entry and safe haven.
  þ Strengthen Multilateral Action Against Bribery. The United States will
    work with international partners to more vigorously investigate and
    prosecute those who pay or promise to pay bribes to public officials;
    to strengthen multilateral and national disciplines to stop bribery of
    foreign public officials; and to halt bribery of foreign political
    parties, party officials, and candidates for office.
  þ Facilitate And Reinforce Responsible Repatriation And Use. We will also
    work with our partners to develop and promote mechanisms that capture
    and dispose of recovered assets for the benefit of the citizens of
    countries victimized by high-level public corruption.
  þ Target And Internationalize Enhanced Capacity. The United States will
    target technical assistance and focus international attention on
    building capacity to detect, prosecute, and recover the proceeds of
    high-level public corruption, while helping build strong systems to
    promote responsible, accountable, and honest governance.

The President's Announcement Builds On Established U.S. Leadership In The
International Fight Against Corruption. The U.S. actively supports
development and implementation of effective anticorruption measures in
various international bodies and conventions. In addition to the G-8, we
have promoted strong anticorruption action in the:
  þ UN Convention Against Corruption
  þ OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and the OECD Working Group on Bribery
  þ Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
  þ Council of Europe Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO)
  þ OAS Mechanism for Implementing the Inter-American Convention Against
    Corruption
  þ Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum's Anticorruption and
    Transparency (ACT) Initiative
  þ Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) "Governance for
    Development in Arab States" (GfD) Initiative.

# # #
===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/08/20060810-1.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)