ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT ANNOUNCES UNITED STATES-SWITZERLAND WORKING ARRANGEMENT TO FIGHT
THE WAR ON TERRORISM

WASHINGTON, DC - Attorney General John Ashcroft, Deputy Treasury Secretary Kenneth Dam, and Swiss Attorney General Valentin Roschacher today announced an arrangement between the United States and Switzerland to increase the joint ability to investigate and prevent acts of terror.

"Switzerland has long been an important law enforcement partner of the United States, and we are grateful for the close cooperation that Swiss federal authorities have provided to United States law enforcement," Attorney General Ashcroft said. "Switzerland has been a true ally in the fight against international terrorism, particularly in the months since September 11th. Today, we partner once again to achieve our common objective of preventing terrorism."

Attorney General Ashcroft, Deputy Treasury Secretary Dam, and Attorney General Roschacher participated in a signing ceremony this afternoon to formalize the joint decision. Under this agreement, the United States will send FBI and U.S. Customs agents to work within the Swiss Antiterrorism Task Force, and Switzerland will send its own investigators to the United States to work with FBI and U.S. Customs terrorism task forces.

"In this global war on terrorism, information is the key to prevention," Ashcroft said. "By facilitating cooperation and communication between our nations, this partnership will increase our joint ability to detect and prevent acts of terror."

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