ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING GATHERING IN STRASBOURG

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[06:01 pm] 14 February, 2007

>From 21 to 23 February the Council of Europe will be hosting the
first joint meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the
Council of Europe Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money
Laundering Measures (MONEYVAL).

With the aim of strengthening international co-operation in the fight
against money laundering and terrorist financing, the approximately
400 participants will study the FATF’s mutual evaluation report on
Turkey, MONEYVAL’s third-round mutual evaluation report on Georgia
and a progress report submitted by Cyprus. Reports from Armenia and
Azerbaijan will be considered also by MONEYVAL.

Other items on the agenda are abuse of Value Added Tax systems for
money laundering and money-laundering in South America.

Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, will open
the meeting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday 21 February (only this part of
the meeting is open to the press).

FATF President, Frank Swedlove, and MONEYVAL Chairman, Vasil Kirov,
as well as the acting Director General of Legal Affairs of the Council
of Europe, Philippe Boillat, will hold a media briefing at 1 p.m. on
Friday 23 February in Room 1 of the Palais de l’Europe (2nd floor).

Twenty-seven of the 46 member states of the Council of Europe are
currently members of the MONEYVAL Committee . The FATF has 33 members.