Israel-Italy Agreement on the
Struggle Against Terrorism
(December 4, 1986)
In 1986, terrorists attacked an Italian passenger liners,
the Achille Lauro. Afterwards, Italy prosecuted a number of Palestinian
terrorists and was not deterred by Arab threats
and its minister of the interior signed the agreement in Jerusalem.
Israel was highly pleased with the agreement, the first in its kind
with a major European power. Italy It
also specified exchange of information and fight against illicit
drugs.
The Minister of Police of
Israel and the Minister of Interior of the Republic of Italy,
Recognizing the effective
cooperation already existing between their respective countries,
Aware, however, of the need
to realize in a more incisive way the coordination in the flow and
analysis of information, and repression of international terrorism,
the illicit trade in drugs and other forms of serious crime including
organized crime,
Have agreed:
1. Upon mutual agreement of
the Minister of Police of the State of Israel and the Minister of the
Interior of the Republic of Italy, a Bilateral Committee shall be
established for the cooperation in the fight against terrorism, the
illicit trade in drugs and other forms of serious crime including
organized crime.
2. The Bilateral Committee
shall be headed by the two Ministers and shall include representatives
of the competent ministries, senior officials of the forces in charge
of public order and experts in the specific fields mentioned above.
Representatives of other
Ministries and offices may be invited to take part, as needed, by
mutual consent.
The Bilateral Committee shall
meet regularly at least once a year, and whenever necessary in order
to discuss particular questions of an urgent nature, alternately in
each of the two countries.
3. In order to render more
efficient and concrete the collaboration between the two countries,
the cooperation shall aim at carrying out in the aforementioned
fields, the following activities:
(a) Terrorism
Exchange of information
relating to terrorist groups, their activities and techniques, within
the limits permitted according to the legislation and procedures of
the respective countries;
Updating information
concerning current threats of terrorism as well as the techniques and
the organizational structure introduced for combatting those threats,
and this through regular exchange of experts;
Exchange of experience and
knowhow in the field of safety of aerial, maritime and railway
transport for the purpose of continually improving the standards of
the security measures taken in airports, ports and railway stations
and to continually conform them to the level of threats posed by
international terrorism.
Mutual assistance in the
field of security, including the security of public institutions of
each of the two countries situated in the other country.
(b) Illicit Trade in Drugs
Exchange of information and
its sources, notices and data relating to the illicit trade in drugs,
within the limits permitted according to the legislation of the
respective countries;
Mutual and continual updating
of data relating to the phenomenon of drugs, the methods and the
organizational structure created for the prevention of such phenomena;
Cooperation in the field of
research and study being carried out in the two countries for the
rehabilitation of drug addicts.
(c) Other Forms of Serious
Crime Including Organized Crime
Constant exchange of
information and data regarding other forms of serious crime and
organized criminal activities, within the limits permitted according
to the legislation of the respective countries;
Exchange of experts of the
Police Forces in order to carry out joint activities;
Taking common measures for
the purpose of preventing the recycling of black money.
4. This Agreement does not
prejudice the application of any international Agreement to which the
Italian Republic or the State of Israel, or one of them is a Party,
and which relates to all or any of the matters to which this Agreement
relates.
5. This Agreement shall enter
into force upon signature and may be terminated by either of the two
Parties, at any time, by written notification.
Done in Jerusalem on the
Fourth day of December 1986, which corresponds to the Second day of
Kislev 5747, in two originals in the Hebrew, Italian and English
languages each of the texts being equally authentic.
In case of divergent
interpretation, the English text shall prevail.
[Oscar Luigi
Scalfaro] For the Ministry of Police
of the
Republic of Italy
[Haim Bar-Lev] For the Ministry of the Interior of the State of Israel
Sources: Israeli
Foreign Ministry |