For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 8, 2002
Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
May 7, 2002
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. Chairman:)
Pursuant to the resolution of advice and consent to ratification of
the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption adopted by the Senate
on July 27, 2000, the President must submit to the Speaker of the House
of Representatives and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations an annual implementation report each year for a 5-year
period, beginning after the initial report was filed in April 2001.
This second report to the Congress, prepared by my Administration,
indicates that 28 of the 34 members of the Organization of American
States have signed the Convention (Barbados and Belize signed in the
past year), and 25 members deposited their instruments of ratification
with the Organization of American States.
Since the last report, the realization that corruption threatens
political and economic stability, undermines democracy, and can create
conditions ripe for terrorism has focused governments on the need to
actively combat this international scourge. The Inter-American
Convention contributes to this fight in the Americas and serves as a
model to other regions. With the development of an effective
evaluation mechanism, the Convention will help establish a new level of
transparency and accountability. This report also outlines the steps
taken to establish an evaluation mechanism, known as the Committee of
Experts, to oversee implementation of the Convention.
I look forward to working with you to ensure that we continue to
combat corruption in our hemisphere and across the globe.
Sincerely,
GEORGE W. BUSH
# # #
|