Dem platform differs from GOP on trade with Russia

The Hill

The 2012 Democratic party platform released Monday differs from the GOP platform on trade with Russia.

Congress, as early as next week, could take up a bill to grant permanent normal trade relations(PNTR) to Russia.

The Democratic platform, like the GOP document, supports PNTR. But, unlike the GOP, Democrats are not demanding that PNTR be linked to a separate human-rights bill.

Last week, the GOP platform stated: “Russia should be granted Permanent Normal Trade Relations, but not without sanctions on Russian officials who have used the government to violate human rights.”

It said the GOP supports “enactment of the Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act as a condition of expanded trade relations with Russia.”

The Democratic platform makes no such mention of the Magnitsky bill, which would slap financial and visa sanctions on those accused of murdering Russian whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky.

The document just says that the administration is “candid with the Russians when we disagree” and that “the administration will not put aside our differences but will raise them directly with the Russian government.”

“And we will continue to strongly criticize Russian actions that we oppose, such as their support for the Assad regime in Syria,” the Democratic platform states.

The Magnitsky bill has support from Democrats in Congress, notably Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and versions have been reported out of the Senate Finance, Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees. It has been opposed by some business lobbyists as posing a risk to firms doing business with human-rights violators.

The House could take up PNTR and Magnitsky next week, sources have said. The administration has been cool to the Magnitsky bill behind the scenes — the bill would give Congress expanded powers to demand the administration impose sanctions on a wide range of human-rights violators or explain why it has not done so.

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney in his convention speech last week accused President Obama of being too soft on Russia. unshaven girls hairy women https://zp-pdl.com/fast-and-easy-payday-loans-online.php zp-pdl.com buy viagra online