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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 8, 2006
Message To the Congress of the United States
MESSAGE TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
Consistent with subsection 204(b) of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1703(b)(IEEPA), and section 301 of the National Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1631 (NEA), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order (the "order") blocking the property of certain persons contributing to the conflict in Côte d'Ivoire. In that order, I declared a national emergency to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by that conflict, as described below.
The United Nations Security Council, in Resolution 1572 of November 15, 2004, expressed deep concern over the resumption of hostilities in Côte d'Ivoire, the public incitement of hatred and violence, and the repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement of May 3, 2003. United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1572 determined that the situation in Côte d'Ivoire poses a threat to international peace and security in the region and called on member States to take certain measures against persons responsible for the continuing conflict. The United Nations Security Council has continued to express serious concern at the persistence of the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire and of obstacles to the peace and national reconciliation process from all sides in UNSCRs 1643 of December 15, 2005, and 1652 of January 24, 2006.
Despite the intervention and efforts of the international community, there have been massacres of large numbers of civilians, widespread human rights abuses, significant political violence and unrest, and attacks against international peacekeeping forces in Côte d'Ivoire. Such activity includes the killing of large numbers of civilians in Korhogo in June 2004, and in Abidjan in March 2004; significant violence and unrest, including public incitements to violence, in Abidjan in November 2004; human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, in western Côte d'Ivoire in April and June 2005; attacks on a police station and prison in July 2005 in Anyama and Agboville, and violent protests in Abidjan and attacks on U.N. and international nongovernmental organization facilities in western Côte d'Ivoire in January 2006. Also, notwithstanding the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement signed by the Ivorian political forces on January 24, 2003, the related ceasefire agreement of May 3, 2003, the Accra III Agreement of July 30, 2004, the Pretoria Agreement of April 6, 2005, and the Declaration on the Implementation of the Pretoria Agreement of June 29, 2005, consolidating the implementation of the Linas Marcoussis peace and national reconciliation process, Ivorian parties have continued to engage in military operations and attacks against peacekeeping forces in Côte d'Ivoire leading to fatalities.
Pursuant to the IEEPA and the NEA, I have determined that these actions and circumstances constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States and declared a national emergency to deal with that threat and have issued an Executive Order to deal with the threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy posed by the situation in or in relation to Côte d'Ivoire.
The order blocks the property and interests in property in the United States, or in the possession or control of United States persons, of the persons listed in the Annex to the order, as well as of any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretary of State,
The designation criteria will be applied in accordance with applicable domestic law, including where appropriate, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The order also authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretary of State, to designate for blocking any person determined to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, the activities listed above or any person listed in or designated pursuant to the order. I further authorized the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretary of State, to designate for blocking any person determined to be owned or controlled by, or acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person listed in or designated pursuant to the order. The Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretary of State, is also authorized to remove any persons from the Annex to the order as circumstances warrant.
I delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretary of State, the authority to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by the IEEPA and the United Nations Participation Act, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the order. All executive agencies are directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of the order.
The order, a copy of which is enclosed, became effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern standard time on February 8, 2006.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
February 8, 2006.
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