WASHIGNTON, D.C. — James Ziglar, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service commissioner, said his agency is working on improving the U.S. international adoption process. He spoke to the House Committee on International Relations after recent attention to possible cases of child buying/human trafficking in the adoption of orphans in Southeast Asia.

Ziglar said an INS Adoptions Task Force is setting up a system whereby officials would first determine if a child is eligible for INS orphan status.

"Some American prospective adoptive parents have experienced the heartbreaking situation in which they have traveled abroad and adopted a child, only to discover that the child does not meet the orphan definition and cannot immediately immigrate to the United States," said Zigar.

Ziglar said INS officials "are in the process of developing this process with the Department of State," and he had no details on how the initiative will be implemented.
 

Anti-terrorism treaty
welcomed by ministers

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — Foreign ministers from the Organization of American States have adopted an anti-terrorism treaty negotiated after the Sept. 11th attacks in the United States. 

The Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism, adopted Monday, commits OAS members to share intelligence on terrorist groups, freeze terrorists' assets and cooperate in the prosecution of terrorist suspects. 

Parties to the agreement must also deny asylum or refugee status to suspected terrorists as well as strengthen border controls. 

Attending the meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell praised the accord as the first new international treaty since Sept.11 making it easier to combat terrorism. He also said the nations of the Americas are united in their resolve to fight terrorism and defend democracy. 

Some 30 countries in the 34-member organization signed the accord. The other four, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica and the Dominican Republic, said they need more time to first fulfill legal requirements called for in the treaty. Communist-ruled Cuba is excluded from the organization. 

Powell applauded improved inter-American cooperation in intelligence sharing and other areas since Sept. 11. He also lauded the launch of a review of hemispheric "security architecture" and challenged the OAS to enhance the common security of its member nations by developing an "inter-American declaration on hemispheric security" that would "identify, prevent, and remedy potential threats."

Identifying democracy as the foundation for hemispheric security, Powell outlined the commitment of the OAS to strengthen democratic institutions in Venezuela and Haiti.

Powell emphasized that free trade and economic development remain guiding principles for fostering growth and prosperity in the hemisphere. He cited the importance of establishing a Free Trade Area of the Americas.

KENNEDY SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, Fla. — Workers have replaced a faulty gaseous nitrogen regulator valve in Space Shuttle Endeavour's left Orbital Maneuvering System pod. They were performing leak checks. 

The faulty valve led shuttle managers on Sunday to delay the shuttle’s launch until Wednesday. Endeavour is scheduled to lift off between 2 and 6 Costa Rican time.

Aboard will be Frank Chang Diaz, a plasma physcist who was born in San José.

The chance of acceptable weather at launch is at 60 percent, with the main concerns being anvil clouds and thunderstorms in the vicinity.

This flight is the 14th shuttle mission to visit the International Space Station. Endeavour will carry the Expedition Five crew to the station and return the Expedition Four crew to Earth. Also, riding in Endeavour is the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, which contains science equipment and supplies for the station. 

Speculation crackdown
promised in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — The government warns it will crack down on currency speculators who, it says, are undermining economic recovery. The government warning comes as Argentina moves closer to meeting the demands by the International Monetary Fund for obtaining a new loan. 

Argentine Cabinet Chief Alfredo Atanasov says currency speculation threatens to derail the progress made by the government in attempting to stabilize the country's tattered economy. Speaking to reporters Monday, Atanasov said the government will take action against currency speculators. 

"We are going to act very firmly against those who are speculating on the rise of the dollar, and against those who are not liquidating their hard currency earnings," He said. The Argentine official added that the warning is not aimed at individuals who are trading pesos for dollars, but against major exporters who are delaying exchanging their dollar earnings in the hope of getting a more favorable rate later. 

The Argentine peso has lost more than 70 percent of its value against the dollar since it was devalued in January. Prior to the devaluation, the peso had been pegged one-to-one to the dollar for 10 years. 

Atanasov also says Argentina has made good progress in meeting the conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund for obtaining a new loan. Last week, the Argentine Senate repealed an economic measure from the 1970s, which the IMF had opposed. 

Also, most of Argentina's provinces have agreed to slash spending as required by the IMF, and Atanasov says he expects the others to follow suit. Overspending by the provinces, which the federal government was obliged to cover, is seen as one of the main reasons Argentina was forced to default on its debts. 

In another development key to winning IMF approval, the government Saturday unveiled a plan to phase out over time an unpopular freeze on citizens' bank deposits. The plan offers depositors the choice to convert their frozen money into bonds that mature between three and ten years. 

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