Embassy Press Release

REMARKS OF AMBASSADOR NICHOLAS F. TAUBMAN AT THE SIGNING CEROMONY OF THE US-ROMANIA EXTRADITION TREATY AND THE MUTUAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE TREATY PROTOCOL

Bucharest, September 10, 2007

Mr. Minister;
Distinguished colleagues from the justice and law enforcement communities;
Ladies and gentlemen:

I am very pleased to be here today to sign these agreements with you, Mr. Minister, on behalf of the Government of the United States of America. Today’s ceremony marks an important achievement for both the United States and Romania. We are bringing our justice and law enforcement partnership, which is already thriving, fully into the 21st century.

These twin agreements -- on extradition and mutual legal assistance --will enable our police and prosecutors to cooperate more effectively to bring criminals to justice, and to combat international terrorism swiftly and reliably. On the eve of the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the significance of this type of cooperation is all the more clear.

The extradition treaty replaces the outdated 1924 extradition treaty and 1936 supplementary treaty currently in force. In an age of advanced technology and sophisticated, cross-border crime, we needed a treaty with state-of-the-art provisions. The new U.S.-Romanian extradition treaty is also a necessary building block for implementing umbrella law enforcement agreements concluded by the United States and the European Union in 2003. Thus today we are both strengthening our bilateral law enforcement cooperation and furthering the vital Trans-Atlantic link between Washington and Brussels.

Thanks to the new mutual legal assistance protocol, our two countries will be able, for instance, to search more efficiently for suspect bank accounts; to more easily establish joint investigative teams; and to take testimony in legal proceedings by video-link.

In short, thanks to these new agreements, we will be able to expand and deepen the already outstanding collaboration we have on justice and law enforcement matters. It is one of the pillars of the great partnership and friendship our two countries enjoy.

Thank you very much.

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