[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

URGENT - Bill to Limit U.S. Sanctio



Subject: URGENT - Bill to Limit U.S. Sanctions Hailed by Oil Interests

NOTE: WE MUST ACT ON THIS.  USA ENGAGE AND ITS MEMBERSHIP ARE FORCING
CORPORATE DESIRES ON THE NEEDS AND RIGHTS OF THE PUBLIC.  THE USA IS FOR
AND BY THE PEOPLE, NOT FOR AND BY THE CORPORATION.


Bill to Limit U.S. Sanctions Hailed by Oil Interests

               Reuters
               25-MAR-99

               NEW YORK, March 25 (Reuters) - U.S. oil interests
               applauded the introduction in Congress this week of a
bill to
               limit the power of unilateral sanctions, seeing it as a
key step
               in the battle to reopen Iran and other countries closed
to
               American investment by current government policy. 

               The Sanctions Process Reform bill requires any future
               unilateral sanctions to explain their goals in detail and
spell
               out the economic consequences for U.S. companies. 

               "We fully expect that with the strong bipartisan support
the
               bill is receiving, it will become law during the 106th
               Congress," said Frank Kittredge, a spokesman for USA
               ENGAGE, an umbrella lobbying group representing oil,
               agriculture and other business, which has waged a two
year
               campaign against unilateral sanctions policy. 

               The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives
on
               Wednesday by Representative Phil Crane, an Illinois
               Republican, and is to be launched in the Senate on Friday
               by Sen. Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican. 

               Bipartisan support for the measure in Congress, together
               with some recent signals from the Clinton Administration,
               mean "the prospects for meaningful sanctions reform are
               excellent," said Rod MacAlister, a Washington lobbyist
for
               Conoco Inc., which lost a multibillion-dollar Iran oil
deal to
               French oil interests when sanctions were imposed. 

               "The debate over the last two years has really shown up
the
               shortcomings of an overreliance by the U.S. on unilateral
               sanctions as a tool. Hopefully, some new thinking will
take

               place out of this debate," MacAlister said. 

               A similar bill failed last summer, but supporters say
that was
               because it was tied to a controversial agricultural
               appropriations bill which did not have the support of
Senate
               Majority Leader Trent Lott. Lott, a Mississippi
Republican,
               put his support behind the bill this week and all but
die-hard
               opponents, such as Sen. Jesse Helms, Republican of North
               Carolina, are expected to vote for it. 

               Lugar, who said there are already 30 co-sponsors in the
               Senate, said in a statement issued on Wednesday that the
               bill would ensure that unilateral sanctions are imposed
as a
               last resort, not as a first course. 

               There is strong support from farm states, too, especially
in
               the run-up to elections. 

               "This bill will help the people of the world and our
agriculture
               producers by making it harder for the government to use
               sanctions -- especially agricultural -- as a weapon of
foreign
               policy," said Sen. Bob Kerrey, a Nebraska Democrat. 

               Those pushing for an easing of sanctions say the bill is
               another positive sign. Last Thursday's unanimous Senate
               vote to allow the sale of $500 million of American wheat
to
               Iran should also clear the way for President Bill Clinton
to
               take more steps to ease sanctions, they said. 

               "The problem is the bureaucracy. The President would like
               to move but three things need to happen first," said an
oil
               lobbyist in Washington. 

               The political environment needs to improve further by
more
               moves like this week's bill and last week's wheat vote.
Then
               the Administration needs to specifically articulate its
goals
               which would allow it to ease Iran sanctions, following on
               Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's general "road
map"
               speech last year. 

               Finally, the specific steps toward lifting the U.S.-only
               embargo can be set up. 

               The agenda is different for other targets of sanctions,
such
               as Libya, the Sudan and Burma, and Iran's potential
projects
               -- mainly energy -- are mostly measured in the billions
of
               dollars, lobbyists said.