Message to the Senate Transmitting The Bahamas-United States Extradition Treaty

To the Senate of the United States:

With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification, I transmit herewith the Extradition Treaty between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas signed at Nassau on March 9, 1990. I transmit also, for the information of the Senate, the report of the Department of State with respect to the Treaty.

The Treaty is designed to update and standardize the conditions and procedures for extradition between the United States and The Bahamas. Most significant, it substitutes a dual criminality clause for a current list of extraditable offenses, so that, inter alia, certain additional narcotics offenses will be covered by the new Treaty. The Treaty also provides a legal basis for temporarily surrendering prisoners to stand trial for crimes against the laws of the Requesting State.

The Treaty further represents an important step in combatting terrorism by excluding from the scope of the political offense exception serious offenses typically committed by terrorists; e.g., crimes against a Head of State or first family member of either Party, aircraft hijacking, aircraft sabotage, crimes against internationally protected persons, including diplomats, hostage-taking, narcotics trafficking, and other offenses for which either the United States or The Bahamas may have an obligation to extradite or submit to prosecution by reason of a multilateral treaty, convention, or other international agreement.

The provisions in this Treaty follow generally the form and content of extradition treaties recently concluded by the United States. Upon entry into force, it will supersede the existing Extradition Treaty between the United States and The Bahamas.

This Treaty will make a significant contribution to international cooperation in law enforcement. I recommend that the Senate give early and favorable consideration to the Treaty and give its advice and consent to ratification.

George Bush

The White House,

October 28, 1991.