Congresswoman wary of Jackson-Vanik repeal

The head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in the U.S. Congress has questioned a move to repeal the Cold War-era Jackson-Vanik amendment and ease trade with Russia, citing human rights violations in the country. “That amendment has long been a symbol of U.S. commitment to human rights and democracy in Russia," Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said. "Removing Russia from its provisions would be interpreted in Moscow and elsewhere as a seal of approval from the U.S. Congress, even as the human rights situation in Russia continues to deteriorate,” Ros-Lehtinen said at a committee hearing titled Russia 2012: Increased Repression, Rampant Corruption, Assisting Rogue Regimes The amendment, passed in 1974, barred favorable trade relations with the Soviet Union because it wouldn’t let Jewish citizens emigrate. Annual waivers have been allowed and widely used since 1993, two years after the communist government collapsed “I hope the Congress will not grant one more concession to Russia without first holding Moscow accountable for actions that run contrary to U.S. national security interests and to such foreign policy priorities as the promotion of human rights and democracy,” said Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican. Russia is now poised to join the World Trade Organization in May or June. The U.S. risks losing out on increased exports to Russia once the country formally joins the organization because of Jackson-Vanik. The US administration is pressing Congress to throw out the Cold War-era amendment on behalf of U.S. farmers and manufacturers. The Administration is now seeking to give Russia permanent normal trade relations, which requires lifting the Jackson-Vanik restrictions. Her opinion was backed by U.S experts present at the meeting and Hermitage Capital Management CEO William Browder. “The regime continues to monopolize power, with corruption entrenched throughout the entire government structure and reaching far into the economy and the general society…But there are also hopeful signs that the Russian people have begun to stand up to the regime and demand their basic rights. The massive demonstrations that followed last December’s parliamentary elections, which were characterized by open fraud, have demonstrated that the people are losing their fear and are demanding fundamental political change,” Ros-Lehtinen said.