For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 26, 2004
Fact Sheet: U.S.-EU Summit: Cooperation to Combat Terrorists and Other Serious Criminals
"We have faced serious challenges together, and now we face a
choice: We can go forward with confidence and resolve, or we can turn
back to the dangerous illusion that terrorists are not plotting and
outlaw regimes are no threat to us."
President George W. Bush
State of the Union Address
January 20, 2004
Today, President Bush and his EU counterparts welcomed the progress
on counterterrorism, including an agreement on further transatlantic
cooperation. The United States and the European Union recognize the
threat of terrorism to our freedom and basic liberties, and are
resolved to defeat it. Victory will be secured only as long as the
international community maintains vigilance and works tirelessly
together to prevent terrorists from inflicting horrors like those of
September 11, 2001, and March 11, 2004.
The United States and the European Union have agreed today to:
Work together to deepen the international consensus and enhance
international efforts to combat terrorism through support of the United
Nations, its General Assembly, and the Security Council;
Share data on lost and stolen passports to prevent terrorists from
traveling undetected with these documents;
Work together to prevent access by terrorists to financial and
other economic resources and have a regular dialogue on terrorist
financing;
Promote cooperation between our law enforcement agencies and
institutions for the purpose of the prevention, detection, and
investigation and prosecution of terrorist offenses;
Identify areas for closer cooperation in dealing with the
consequences of terrorist attacks; and
Focus assistance programs on the enhancement of counterterrorist
capacity and commitment in priority Third Countries.
These steps build on the expanding transatlantic counterterrorism
cooperation. Specifically, the United States and the European Union
recently have:
Reached an agreement giving U.S. border enforcement authorities
access to airline passenger reservation data on transatlantic flights
that will allow U.S. authorities to screen for potential terrorists in
advance of boarding aircraft;
Begun cooperation to secure our ports, vessels, cargo, and supply
chains through programs such as the Container Security Initiative and
the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism to detect radioactive
material; and
Inaugurated a high-level dialogue to enhance mutual understanding
and complementarity of U.S.-EU security policies and improve
security in land, air, and maritime environments.
This extensive and growing collaboration with the EU is part of
President Bush's broader counterterrorism strategy. The United States
works closely with every nation committed to the fight against
terrorism. Together with our international partners, we have already
scored multiple victories:
Worldwide, nearly $140 million in terrorist-related accounts has
been frozen.
Over two-thirds of the al-Qaida leadership have been captured or
killed.
Operational and logistical terrorist support cells have been
disrupted in Europe, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Southeast Asia.
50 million people have been liberated from two of the most brutal
regimes in modern history, and al-Qaida has been denied a safehaven in
Afghanistan.
President Bush has demonstrated his commitment to improving the
United States' ability to detect and deter would-be terrorists by
showing leadership in securing our Homeland through a series of
initiatives:
The USA Patriot Act brought down the artificial wall separating
law enforcement and intelligence officers, allowing them to talk
to each other as they work to prevent future attacks, and provided for
measured changes in the law that have enabled the Federal Government to
better track terrorists, disrupt their cells, seize their assets, and
share information with state and local law enforcement.
The most extensive reorganization of the Federal Government in 50
years created the Department of Homeland Security last year that
combined multi-agency efforts to better protect our skies, borders,
ports, and critical infrastructure.
The Terrorist Threat Integration Center, established in May 2003,
is making strides in integrating and analyzing terrorism
threat-related information collected domestically and abroad, ensuring
that intelligence and law enforcement entities are working in common
purpose.
The Terrorist Screening Center was created to consolidate
terrorist watchlists and provide 24/7 operational support for
thousands of Federal screeners across the country and around the
world.
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