Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties

The Senate voted unanimously to ratify six treaties designed to foster international cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of criminal and civil matters. The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties are with Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Thailand, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas. The Senate accepted an "understanding" that a request for information from a foreign government will be denied if it is known that a senior official of the government is involved in narcotics trafficking.

The two aging men stood in the center of a large room crowded with stunned diplomats and shouted at each other. One was the American ambassador, the other Panama's foreign minister. It seems that every time they meet these days they end up yelling. "It's embarrassing, on one hand," said a European diplomat who witnessed the confrontation between Ambassador Deane R. Hinton and Panamanian Foreign Minister Julio Linares at a reception at the Vatican Embassy this year.

The two aging men stood in the center of a large room crowded with stunned diplomats and shouted at each other. One was the American ambassador, the other Panama's foreign minister. It seems that every time they meet these days they end up yelling. "It's embarrassing, on one hand," said a European diplomat who witnessed the confrontation between Ambassador Deane R. Hinton and Panamanian Foreign Minister Julio Linares at a reception at the Vatican Embassy this year.

The Senate voted unanimously to ratify six treaties designed to foster international cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of criminal and civil matters. The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties are with Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Thailand, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas. The Senate accepted an "understanding" that a request for information from a foreign government will be denied if it is known that a senior official of the government is involved in narcotics trafficking.

President Reagan, under pressure from Congress to "take off the gloves" in fighting foreign drug trafficking, said Saturday that his Administration has waged an unprecedented campaign against the flow of drugs from abroad. The President, who has threatened to veto Senate-passed legislation calling for sanctions against Mexico over drug trafficking, devoted his weekly radio address from Camp David, Md., to the drug issue.

A 26-year-old Mexican investment counselor says she was tricked into becoming involved in the biggest drug money laundering sting in U.S. history, and then threatened with physical harm when she tried to back out of the deal. Katy Kissel Belfer, who is charged with laundering $1 million in drug cartel money, contends that federal agents failed to prevent threats and other misconduct by undercover operatives employed in the probe.

An Algerian man arrested crossing the Canadian border 15 months ago with a carload of explosives was part of a terrorist "sleeper cell" activated by Islamic militant Osama bin Laden, U.S. intelligence officials believe. Although the destination of the 130 pounds of bomb-making material has not been determined, authorities contend it was part of a broad millennium-eve conspiracy to attack American targets in the U.S. and the Middle East.