US Congressman questions trade embargo
on Indian, Pakistani companies
Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone has
introduced a legislation, urging a review of the list of Indian and
Pakistani entities that the Bill Clinton administration had blacklisted
after the nuclear tests by the two countries last year.
Copies of his speech on the floor of the house on the subject and
a letter he wrote to fellow members asking for their support, were released to the press in Washington last night.
He said the export controls should be applied only to those
entities that ''make direct and material contributions to weapons of
mass destruction and missiles programmes and only those items that
can contribute to such programmes''.
Pallone felt that the ''Bureau of Export Administration
has created a blacklist of private and public entities in the two
countries, subjecting them to a near complete prohibition on all
exports, including paper clips and paper cups, without regard to
their specific use or whether these contributed in any way to
production of nuclear weapons.''
''In effect, the list imposes a broad trade embargo against nearly 300 companies and agencies with little or no direct connection to nuclear weapons programmes. In practice, this is an essentially punitive list,'' he added.
Besides punishing the Indian and Pakistani entities, he pointed
out, ''the list also ends up hurting US firms and research
organisations that have ties with them.''
Pallone said the administration had cast too wide a net in
listing entities, including ''private companies and research
institutions, that do not threaten US security interests.'' In all,
there are a total of 196 entities from India and 92 from Pakistan on
the list.
Pallone said there were some ''truly absurd'' examples of
entities that have been included in this list.
Meanwhile, two more Congressmen last night came out in support of
the growing demand among the US lawmakers that Pakistan should
withdraw its forces from the Indian heights to pave the way for a
dialogue with New Delhi on the issue.
Democratic Congressman Sam Gejdenson, in a statement, said,
''Pakistan's decision to actively support the armed intrusion into the
Indian side of the Line of Control was a monumental
miscalculation.''
He said Pakistan had sought to internationalise the Kashmir
dispute and force the world community to mediate between the two
countries. ''Instead, it has succeeded in uniting the world's major
powers -- from the Group of Eight industrialised nations to
China -- in strong opposition to Pakistan's reckless actions,'' he
added.
Republican Congressman Dave Weldon, in a speech on the floor of
the House, said the Pakistani invasion ran counter to the Lahore
Declaration, envisaging development of peaceful relations and
cooperation between India and Pakistan. ''It is particularly
disturbing to me that the government of Pakistan appears to have
provided the armed infiltrators into Kashmir with support, both
military and financial.''
He said, ''This aggression against India should be undone so that
stability can be restored.''
UNI
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