Joint Press Conference
Remarks made at the 13 November 2002 Press Conference
TREASURY UNDERSECRETARY JIMMY GURULÉ OPENING STATEMENT
Moments after terrorists attacked our nation, President Bush told the American people that we will direct every resource at our command to win the war against terrorists: every means of diplomacy; every tool of intelligence; every instrument of law enforcement; every financial influence.
Today, the United States is turning to one of its most effective tools against terrorism--the Rewards for Justice Program -- to fight the war against terrorism financing. Today, we are offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the dismantling of any system or scheme used to finance a terrorist organization and information leading to the arrest or conviction of those who planned or aided in any act of terrorism against U.S. persons or property.
President Bush has made it perfectly clear that stopping terrorism starts with stopping the flow of money. Our strategy is simple: international terrorism is financed by money sent to terrorists from sources around the world; thus, we must disrupt and stop that flow of money. This program will help us gain new information and insights into how terrorist financiers are moving money for deadly purposes. We will then use this information to uncover terrorist support networks and to starve the terrorists of funding.
Let me get right down to how this program works: If you have any information about individuals or organizations that finance terrorists and you are located within the United States, call 1-866-867-8300. If you are outside the United States, contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Responses are kept strictly confidential.
This campaign - as part of the existing "Rewards for Justice Program" -- will only work if we raise the public's overall awareness and understanding. Accordingly, beginning today, across the United States, and around the world, a massive global advertising campaign to circulate information on this new program begins. In addition, on the back of every poster and inside every brochure we distribute, as well on our web site, will be "red flags" on terrorist financing.
The materials we have developed identify both illicit sources and types of suspicious transactions which may be connected to terrorist financing. Copies of these materials will be provided for you today. Later this afternoon they will be posted on numerous U.S. government websites - including the White House, Treasury, and State Departments and, in time, all our U.S. embassies. This campaign will be advertised vigorously. We will use posters, flyers, paid advertisements, the internet, and any other venue we feel is appropriate. In addition, among other activities - we will ask the trade associations which represent banks, convenience stores, pawn shops and other germane industries to inform their memberships about this program. We are calling on the front lines of this war on terrorist financing to unite against the common scourge of blood money.
As President Bush has said, we're making progress in this different kind of war. The enemy we seek hides in caves and operates in the dark alleys of the world, yet slowly but surely we're dismantling the terrorist network. With the public's help, this program will help us protect the homeland by hunting these killers down, one at a time, and bringing them to justice.
AMBASSADOR TAYLOR'S REMARKS
Thank you, Under Secretary Gurulé, for inviting me to be here today. As we are all painfully aware, the tragic events of September 11th clearly displayed the global reach of terrorism in the world today. Since that dark day in American history, the United States has worked feverishly to combat this evil scourge, both within our borders and around the world.
Under the leadership of President Bush, cooperation between U.S. Government agencies and our international partners has been unprecedented. We have built a strong global coalition that has achieved great success in identifying terrorists, capturing them, and preventing more attacks against innocent people around the world.
While we have made great strides, we are only at the beginning of a long and arduous campaign. We must have patience, but we must be persistent at the same time. I can assure the American people that the United States is strong and unwavering in its commitment to continue our global efforts to eliminate the threat posed by international terrorism to the civilized world.
One of the most effective weapons in our arsenal today is the Rewards for Justice Program. Through this program, the United States offers rewards for information that prevents terrorist attacks or brings terrorists to justice. Through our global advertising campaigns, our message has reached millions of people and put potential sources of information in every place a terrorist might try to hide or operate.
The Rewards for Justice Program saves lives. Since its inception, we have paid more than $9.75 million to people who provided information in more than 20 cases. Perhaps our greatest success story was the arrest of Ramzi Yousef, the convicted mastermind in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. In February 1995, Yousef was in Pakistan developing a plan to simultaneously blow up 12 U.S. airliners over the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to information provided by a brave informant, Yousef was arrested and convicted of his terrorist crimes. This is a scenario we want to see repeated over and over again. And I can assure you that it has, and it will again.
The Rewards for Justice Program has a proven track record of success. Today, we join forces with the newest member of the Rewards for Justice partnership, the Department of the Treasury, to embark on a new campaign to further step up the fight against international terrorism. Through this rewards announcement and the ensuing advertising campaign, we seek the assistance of more brave people to generate critical leads that will stop the flow of money to terrorists, disrupt their operations of evil, and ultimately and most importantly, save innocent lives.
The eradication of the terrorist threat is our top priority, and the State and Treasury Departments will clearly play a critical role in this effort. The American public can rest assured that we are using every avenue at our disposal-diplomatic, financial, law enforcement, military, and political-to track terrorists in every corner of the Earth and bring them to justice. The war on terrorism will not be won tomorrow, next month, or next year. But it is a war that we will win. Thank you.
