Belarus Tractor Part
Belarus
During the year, the regime used several tactics to intimidate and restrict the ability of opposition leaders and groups from organizing and publicizing their views. Authorities added three articles to the Criminal Code that made libel of the President a criminal offense. These articles were used to punish not only opposition party members but independent media as well (see Section 1.d.). During the year, the regime used excessive force to disperse demonstrations by opposition parties (see Section 1.c.). On several occasions the regime directly interfered in the affairs of political parties and organizations. Following intense regime pressure on members of the Women's Party, on August 14 party members voted to replace former Women's Party leader Valentina Polevikova with pro-regime member Valentina Matusevich. Polevikova's removal from power caused a split in the party with Polevikova and Matusevich each leading a different faction of the Women's Party. Observers claimed t ... [Read More]
Belarus
On October 21, the Ministry of Justice refused to register the Belarusian Democratic Party, founded by Valentina Polevikova, former Chairwoman of the Belarusian Women's Party, ostensibly on the grounds that the party would not be able to fulfill its party program of securing the interests of families and women. The Ministry of Justice noted that the presence of 237 men among the 1,070 members of the party prevented the party from being able to achieve its goals. ... [Read More]
USIA, Economic Perspectives, January 1997 -- IFC
Donaldson: We invest in support of firms that arebuying privatized enterprises from governments. We almost neverinvest in order to purchase assets, but rather to support therehabilitation or expansion program that's usually a part ofprivatization. So if there is a competitive bid taking place, wewill not line up behind a particular bidder. We instead tellbidders -- in some cases, several potential bidders -- to goahead and bid, with the understanding that if they aresuccessful, we will look at the possibility of supporting theirinvestment program. We don't make any firm promises to avoidmaking the playing field uneven. ... [Read More]
Department of State Washington File: Text: U.S. "Operation Predator" Protecting Children Around the World
Recognizing the synergies realized through our own merger, we aggressively sought to incorporate and join forces with others in this important effort. ICE is currently working closely with a number of agencies and organizations under Operation Predator. Such cooperation is critical to the success of this initiative, since child predator investigations often cross jurisdictional boundaries and require specialized assistance to help victims overcome the trauma of their abuse. ICE Operation Predator partners include other DHS agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); state and local police departments, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor & Combat Trafficking in Persons; NCMEC; Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN); INTERPOL; the U.S. Department of Justice; and many others who also provide critical support to the program. ... [Read More]
Department of State Washington File: Excerpts: Rep. Weldon Outlines Rationale for Missile Defense
I went to Geneva. I got the approval of our State Department, and we set up a negotiating session. The chief U.S. negotiator was on my side, Stanley Rivales and the chief Russian negotiator was sitting across from me, General Koltunov. We talked for 2 1/2 hours about the administration's negotiations for these two ideas of tightening up the ABM treaty. So I inquired of General Koltunov, "General, why do you in Russia want to bring more countries in as signatories to the ABM treaty?" Only two nations were the original signatories, the Soviet Union and the U.S. Why did you pick three former Soviet states, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine, to become equal partners to the U.S. and Russia? That will make it more difficult to amend the treaty. And none of those three countries have long range missiles. They have all been returned to Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union. ... [Read More]
Money Laundering and Financial Crimes
(1) Patterns of Global Terrorism1999, United States Department of State Publication 10687, April 2000.A wide-ranging joint FBI and Department of Treasury investigation into interstate cigarette smuggling, involving a suspected Hizballah terrorist cell operating in Charlotte, North Carolina, led to the July 21, 2000 arrest by U.S. authorities of 18 individuals. Ten days later a federal grand jury in North Carolina indicted these individuals, including seven suspected Hizballah supporters, for immigration fraud and related bribery and conspiracies; conspiring to smuggle contraband cigarettes; and conspiring to launder money. Many of the defendants continue to be detained prior to trial, while the investigation continues. At least seven of the defendants are suspected members of, or sympathetic to Hizballah, a foreign terrorist organization designated as such under U.S. law in 1997 and again in 1 ... [Read More]
International Narcotics Control Strategy Reports
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORTMARCH 1995BUREAU FOR INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS FINANCIAL CRIMES AND MONEY LAUNDERING11995 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORTOVERVIEWThere were a number of significant accomplishments in the world of money laundering in 1994, and a number of new and/or intensified concerns. Accomplishments and concerns are summarized here and explained in detailed sections below.Accomplishments. Several financial center governments, such as Singapore and Panama, have adopted broad, new anti-money laundering policies and/or laws, and a number of governments were in the final stages of presenting/adopting new legislation.The Financial Action Task Force completed the evaluations of each of its 26 member governments, all conducted by outside experts and all culminating in recommendations for changes and improvements which will be monitored through continuing examinations be ... [Read More]
International Narcotics Control Strategy Reports
US DEPARTMENT OF STATEBUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS MATTERSINTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRAGEGY REPORTAPRIL 1994FINANCIAL CRIMES AND MONEY LAUNDERING1994 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORTINTERNATIONAL MONEY LAUNDERINGOVERVIEWIntelligence findings from North and South America, Eastern and Western Europe, South and East Asia, Africa and the Middle East confirm that another significant shift has occurred in money laundering trends and methods, requiring changes in policy and strategy for 1994.The critical aspects are the volume of non-drug related money laundering; increased investment of illegal proceeds in legitimate business, including the financial industry; and the targeting of financial systems in countries/territories (some with little or no domestic involvement in drug trading or other serious proceeds-generating crimes) to launder drug and other proceeds generated by crimes committed in other jurisdictions.In 1988, when the United Nations Convention was ... [Read More]
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