US, Switzerland Strengthen Anti-Terror Co-Operation

Tax-News.com, Washington

13 September 2002

Last week the US and Switzerland signed an "Operative Working Arrangement" that the US said would enhance the countries' existing bilateral cooperation to identify and attack the financial underpinnings of Al Qaeda and related terrorist entities.

Said Deputy Treasury Secretary Kenneth Dam: '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:

• It allows agents from our two countries working on related terrorist and terrorist financing investigations to share information on a real-time basis;
• 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;
• It highlights the growing interdependence of law enforcement internationally and provides a model for other countries that have related investigations ongoing; and
• 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', continued Mr Dam, '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.'

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