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Europe, US disagree on scope of global treaty on corruption
Washington, June 18: Europe and America are in sharp disagreement over the scope of the proposed global treaty against corruption, with Europe wanting the pact to cover businesses and governments while the US wants it restricted to governments.
Washington, June 18: Europe and America are in sharp disagreement over the scope of the proposed global treaty against corruption, with Europe wanting the pact to cover businesses and governments while the US wants it restricted to governments.
Should the negotiations collapse, it will be another
signal that the U.S. and Europe will have trouble working
together even on issues of mutual interest, not merely on
issues like Iraq, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The U.S. position, said the paper, represents a striking turnaround from several years ago, when the Clinton administration pressed a reluctant Europe to crack down on bribes. The U.S. has long campaigned against foreign corruption, starting with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, which barred bribes to foreign officials.
However, now negotiations for the George W Bush administration object to the broad, sweeping nature of the pact proposed by the Europeans. It goes well beyond illicit payments to bureaucrats.
Among the provisions being debated are prohibitions on bribery, favouritism false documents and other corrupt practices among businesses as well as government agencies, and requirements that political parties disclose their sources of financing. Nations would grade each other on their compliance with the provisions of the accord.
The US wants the convention to be limited to subjects such as government corruption and recovery of stolen assets.
European Union nations accuse the Bush administration of trying to dilute the pact.
Bureau Report
The U.S. position, said the paper, represents a striking turnaround from several years ago, when the Clinton administration pressed a reluctant Europe to crack down on bribes. The U.S. has long campaigned against foreign corruption, starting with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, which barred bribes to foreign officials.
However, now negotiations for the George W Bush administration object to the broad, sweeping nature of the pact proposed by the Europeans. It goes well beyond illicit payments to bureaucrats.
Among the provisions being debated are prohibitions on bribery, favouritism false documents and other corrupt practices among businesses as well as government agencies, and requirements that political parties disclose their sources of financing. Nations would grade each other on their compliance with the provisions of the accord.
The US wants the convention to be limited to subjects such as government corruption and recovery of stolen assets.
European Union nations accuse the Bush administration of trying to dilute the pact.
Bureau Report