For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 26, 2001
Terrorist Bombings Convention Implementation Act Legislative Proposal
Message to the Congress of the United States
Enclosed for the consideration of the Congress is a legislative
proposal to implement the International Convention for the Suppression
of Terrorist Bombings and the International Convention for the
Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. Also enclosed is
a detailed explanation of the bill's provisions.
Title I of the bill is entitled the "Terrorist Bombings Convention
Implementation Act of 2001." It would implement the
International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings,
which was signed by the United States on January 12, 1998, and which
was transmitted to the Senate for its advice and consent to
ratification on September 8, 1999. In essence, the
Convention imposes binding legal obligations upon State Parties either
to submit for prosecution or to extradite any person within their
jurisdiction who unlawfully and intentionally delivers, places,
discharges, or detonates an explosive or other lethal device in, into,
or against a place of public use, a State or government facility, a
public transportation system, or an infrastructure
facility. A State Party is subject to these obligations
without regard to the place where the alleged act covered by the
Convention took place. Twenty-eight States are currently
party to the Convention, which entered into force internationally on
May 23, 2001.
Title II of the bill is entitled the "Suppression of the Financing
of Terrorism Convention Implementation Act of 2001." It
would implement the International Convention for the Suppression of the
Financing of Terrorism, which was signed by the United States on
January 10, 2000, and which was trans-mitted to the Senate for its
advice and consent to ratification on October 12, 2000. The
Convention imposes binding legal obligations upon State Parties either
to submit for prosecution or to extradite any person within their
juris-diction who unlawfully and wilfully provides or collects funds
with the intention that they should be used to carry out various
terrorist activities. A State Party is subject to these
obliga-tions without regard to the place where the alleged act covered
by the Convention took place. The Convention is not yet in
force internationally, but will enter into force on the thirtieth day
following the date of the deposit of the twenty-second instrument of
ratification, acceptance, approval, or accession with the Secretary
General of the United Nations.
I urge the prompt and favorable consideration of this proposal.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
October 25, 2001.
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