*EPF313 01/30/2002
Text: U.S. Treasury Launches Financial Transparency Web Site
(Site should help limit illegal financial flows) (200)

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced the launching of a new web site that should assist international efforts to prevent criminals from abusing the international financial system.

Following is the text of a Treasury Department statement on the site:

(begin text)

January 30, 2002

TREASURY STRENGTHENS TRANSPARENCY ON GLOBAL STANDARDS

On June 25th, 2001, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill launched a web site aimed at increasing the transparency of U.S. actions with respect to ongoing international efforts to improve the stability of financial systems around the globe and to keep criminals from abusing the international financial system.

Today, the Treasury Department has taken another important step on the transparency front by posting the United States' recently completed self-evaluation with respect to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Special Recommendations on Terrorist Financing.

Also posted on the site is the Federal Reserve's self-evaluation of compliance with core principles that serve as universal guidelines for the design and operation of safe and efficient payment systems worldwide. These guidelines and other internal evaluations can be found at: http://www.treas.gov/standards/.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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