Washington, 20 August 1996 (RFE/RL) - America's chief law enforcement agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), plans to open several new offices in Central Asia and expand its presence in Central Europe to cope with international terrorism, organized crime, and nuclear smuggling.
An FBI report, made public today, says the Bureau wants to double foreign posts from 23 to 46 over the next four years.
New offices are to be opened in Kyiv in Ukraine, Almaty in Kazakhstan, as well as in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent.
According to the FBI plan, the number of FBI agents is to also increase in existing European posts in Prague, Tallinn, Warsaw, Bucharest and Moscow.
FBI Director Louis Freeh estimates the expansion plan would cost $80 million. The U.S. Congress will consider whether to fund the expansion after it returns to work next month from summer recess.