Posts Tagged ‘jackson-vanik’
U.S. Senate Committee to Vote on Magnitsky List June 19
The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will vote on its version the so-called Magnitsky List bill on June 19, according to the hearings schedule published on its website.
The Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, with amendments, seeks to impose visa bans and asset freezes on the Russian officials involved in the alleged torture and murder of 37-year-old Russian anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky as well as in other gross human rights abuses in Russia.
The House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee has already approved its version of the bill and moved it to the House floor to be voted on at a later date.
The U.S. National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) has urged the Congress to oppose the legislation as it would most likely hurt U.S.-Russian trade and badly damage U.S.-Russian ties.
Magnitsky was arrested on tax evasion charges in November 2008, just days after accusing police investigators in a $230 million tax refund fraud, and died after almost a year in the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center in Moscow.
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Living with Putin, again
On the margin of the G20 summit later this month Russia’s new (but also old) president, Vladimir Putin, will meet America’s Barack Obama for the first time since his election in March. The atmosphere is likely to be chilly. That is as it should be, for since his decision last autumn to return to the Kremlin, Mr Putin has been stridently negative and anti-Western, most recently over Syria (see article). Such behaviour demands a stiff response from the West.
When Mr Obama came to power, his administration talked of a “reset” in relations with Russia. This new, friendlier approach had some useful consequences. It enabled America to negotiate and ratify a strategic arms-reduction treaty. It helped to bring about a slightly more constructive Russian attitude to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. And it secured Russia’s imminent entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Just as with China a decade ago, WTO membership should press Russia to compete more openly and fairly in world markets and to abide more closely by international trade rules.
But the reset was based in part on two misplaced hopes: that Dmitry Medvedev, who had been lent the presidency for one term by Mr Putin in 2008, would genuinely take charge of the country, and that some in his government had sound liberalising, pro-Western instincts. Those hopes were dashed by Mr Putin’s swatting aside of Mr Medvedev last September to allow his own return to the Kremlin, the rigging of elections, his crackdown on Moscow’s protesters and his new Nyet posture.
This should not lead to a total rupture with Russia. Constructive engagement should continue on the economic front. With the oil price falling, stronger economic ties to the West could help to create a business constituency inside Russia that sees the need for greater liberalisation to keep the economy growing. The West should certainly look at introducing reasonable visa rules for Russian businesspeople (Britain’s are absurdly tough). Other cold-war relics, such as America’s Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions, should also go. And why not dangle in front of the bauble-loving Mr Putin the prospect of Russian membership of the OECD rich-country club? Or a free-trade agreement with the European Union?
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Vanik and Magnitsky vs. Mother Russia
The Senate of the U.S. Congress is ready to adopt a bill to abolish the Jackson-Vanik Amendment by early August. However, the abolition of the amendment is linked to the adoption of the law on sanctions against Russian nationals allegedly involved in the violation of human rights. This is the so-called “Magnitsky list” authored by Senator Benjamin Cardin.
“I support this position and I guarantee that these two important draft laws (on trade with Russia and the “Magnitsky list “) can be linked together, will be discussed by the (financial) Committee and adopted by the Senate this year, possibly before the recess in August,” said on Tuesday head of the Senate Finance Committee Max Baukus. He emphasized that he intended to achieve the acceptance of such a bill as quickly as possible.
Judging by the statements made by the U.S. State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland, the U.S. administration did not object to adopting the new bill. On the one hand, there is interest in lifting Jackson-Vanik amendment. This has more reasons than its archaism. The Obama administration believes that the amendment causes obstacles for the American businessmen first of all.
Victoria Nuland made a statement in this regard. According to her, in the case of any issues American businesses will not be able to bill Russia under the WTO rules while this legislation (i.e., amendment) is in place because they would not meet the requirements.
As for the “Magnitsky list”, until recently the U.S. administration was against linking it to the abolition of the Jackson-Vanik amendment. Moreover, last year the State Department tried to be proactive, making a list of the Russians who are banned from entering the U.S. territory. However, the names were not named (as opposed to the list of Cardin). The only thing that Washington has achieved was a counter-list from Russia.
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A Russian Rights Deal
Senate leaders unveiled an agreement on Tuesday to revoke Cold War-era restrictions on trade with Russia and adopt new human rights legislation despised by the Kremlin.
Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, who chairs the Finance Committee, introduced a bill to establish permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Russia and repeal the 1974 Jackson-Vanik amendment, which was originally meant to pressure the Kremlin to treat Soviet Jews better. Ahead of Russia’s accession this summer to the World Trade Organization, U.S. companies will be disadvantaged on the Russian market without PNTR.
But the Obama administration will have to swallow new human rights legislation to replace Jackson-Vanik. In a letter, Sen. Baucus on Tuesday promised to include the so-called Magnitsky Act in the PNTR bill. Magnitsky sets out sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, for Russian officials implicated in human rights abuses. Sen. Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, introduced the bill in 2010 after the death in police custody of Russian lawyer and whistle blower Sergei Magnitsky the previous year.
Senators John McCain (R) and Joe Lieberman (I) made their support for PNTR contingent on passage of Magnitsky. The White House had leaned on Democratic senators to stop or water down the legislation. President Obama has invested a lot of time and capital in the “reset” of relations with Russia, which has threatened to retaliate for Magnitsky. A new draft of the bill circulated by Sen. Cardin’s staff last week weakened some provisions, angering its Republican supporters.
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Bipartisan Senate Bill Would Lift Title IV For Russia; Business Group Supports PNTR
BNA
A bipartisan group of senators June 12 introduced legislation that would terminate the application of Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 to Russia, and the Business Roundtable the same day launched a 50-day campaign to urge Congress to approve permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Russia by the August recess.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), International Trade Subcommittee ranking member John Thune (R-S.D.), Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.), and Armed Services Committee ranking member John McCain (R-Ariz.) unveiled the legislation, “To authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to products of the Russian Federation.” The bill has not yet been numbered.
Normal trade relations with Russia currently are subject to an annual review under Section 402 of the Trade Act, known as the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, which was designed by lawmakers to link trade with human rights by monitoring Jewish emigration from the former Soviet Union.
The three-page bill terminating application of all sections in Title IV would allow the president to grant by proclamation PNTR for Russia. PNTR is required for U.S. firms to receive all of the benefits of the Russian World Trade Organization accession protocol.
In a June 12 briefing with reporters, the Business Roundtable expressed quiet confidence that the legislation would pass prior to the August recess so PNTR can be granted before Russia officially joins the WTO.
The group’s “50 Days for Trade” campaign includes a Russia PNTR action center, a daily “state spotlight” focusing on trade opportunities, targeted media outreach to all 50 states, stepped-up outreach by Business Roundtable chief executive officers, coordination of advocacy efforts with state governors, a national grass-roots outreach campaign, print and online advertising, as well as a national op-ed campaign.
Roundtable President John Engler released the results of a May 26-27 Winston Group poll that found 70 percent of Americans favored granting PNTR to Russia this summer.
Baucus, Kerry Plan to Combine Bills
Baucus and Kerry simultaneously unveiled their strategy of advancing human rights legislation along with the trade bill by adding the full text of the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act (S. 1039) as an amendment to the bill that would terminate Title IV of the Trade Act. The Magnitsky bill had been referred to Kerry’s Foreign Relations Committee.
Baucus acknowledged in a June 12 letter to four sponsors of the bill providing for sanctions—in the form of visa denials and asset freezes for human rights violators—that many lawmakers are rallying around the position that repeal of Jackson-Vanik for Russia must be accompanied by passage of the Magnitsky Act.
Baucus told the four senators sponsoring the act—Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.), McCain, Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)—that he would allow open debate and votes on germane amendments during the Finance Committee markup of the Russia PNTR-Magnitsky legislation. He also said he would urge the Senate majority leader to schedule time prior to the August recess for the Senate to debate and vote on the combined legislation.
Baucus added that he would work with his House counterparts in any conference to ensure that the final version of the legislation includes the Magnitsky Act in a form that is acceptable to its bipartisan co-sponsors.
Extension of MFN Tariffs Not Certain
Under WTO rules, Russia would not be required to grant all of its accession terms to the United States absent PNTR, which in international agreements is referred to as unconditional most favored nation (MFN) status.
Russia is expected to ratify the accession protocol on or before July 23 and become a full WTO member 30 days after ratification. Russian officials have said that they will not extend all the accession terms to the United States until PNTR is granted.
Currently, tariffs are covered by the 1992 U.S.-Russia Agreement on Trade Relations that provided for reciprocal MFN treatment of each others’ products.
Although Russia is expected to uphold the commitment and extend tariffs agreed to in the WTO accession protocol to the United States based on the agreement, a trade expert told reporters at the Business Roundtable briefing this is not certain.
He noted, moreover, that PNTR is critical for U.S. companies to benefit from the commitments in the WTO accession agreement related to intellectual property rights, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, investments, and dispute settlement, among other issues.
In addition to the Roundtable, numerous business groups expressed immediate support for granting PNTR to Russia, including the U.S.-Russia Business Council, which serves as the secretariat for the Coalition for U.S.-Russia Trade that has been in the forefront of lobbying efforts on the issue.
The National Foreign Trade Council, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Emergency Committee for American Trade, the Coalition of Service Industries, the Technology Industry Council, and the Distilled Spirits Council all issued statements that back PNTR and urge congressional passage of legislation that would approve it.
Kirk Gives Bill Warm Reception
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk welcomed the introduction in the Senate of the bill to terminate the application of the Jackson-Vanik Amendment and authorize the president to extend PNTR to Russia.
“Passing this bill will ensure that U.S. businesses, ranchers, farmers, and workers will not be at a disadvantage in the Russian market compared to their global competitors,” Kirk said. “We will continue to work with Congress so that Americans can reap the full benefits of Russia’s WTO membership.”
A USTR spokesman said in an emailed statement that the administration priority is for the Congress to lift the Cold War-era Jackson-Vanik Amendment and authorize the president to extend PNTR to Russia, but democracy, human rights, and civil society are important components of the U.S. relationship with Russia.
“We will continue to work with Congress on how best to advance these important priorities,” the spokesman said.
Eight members of the Senate Finance Committee urged Baucus in a June 12 letter to work to address a number of outstanding issues with Russia, such as barriers to U.S. exports, corruption, and its support for the Syrian government.
The letter, spearheaded by the committee’s ranking member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and signed by Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), said that satisfactorily addressing these issues is imperative before the Senate moves forward with legislative action.
“We believe it will be necessary to satisfactorily address these and other issues if Congress is to successfully navigate a path toward granting PNTR to Russia,” the senators wrote. “We hope you will work with us as we consider legislative options to address remaining concerns.”
For More InformationThe legislation can be found at: http://www.finance.senate.gov/legislation/details/?id=c7b50a1a-5056-a032-5231-0a45f92b7e1a.The letter from Baucus on the Magnitsky Act can be found at http://op.bna.com/itr.nsf/r?Open=rbri-8v7szq.The letter from Hatch and the other senators to Baucus can be found at http://op.bna.com/der.nsf/r?Open=palo-8v7tv9.The Business Roundtable website for its Russia PNTR campaign is http://pntr.businessroundtable.org/. unshaven girl payday loan https://zp-pdl.com https://www.zp-pdl.com hairy women
Bill for normal trade with Russia meets opposition
A Senate plan to lift Cold War restrictions on trade with Russia drew immediate resistance from Senate Republicans who said Congress must first address Russia’s poor human rights record and existing economic and political policies.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., on Tuesday introduced bipartisan legislation to normalize trade relations with Russia by repealing the 1974 Jackson-Vanik act that tied trade with the then-Soviet Union to Moscow’s allowing Jews and other minorities to leave the country.
The repeal of Jackson-Vanik is necessary if U.S. businesses are to enjoy the lower tariffs and increased access to Russian markets that will become available when Russia joins the World Trade Organization this summer. Supporters of normalized trade said it could lead to a doubling of U.S. exports to Russia.
“Jackson-Vanik served its purpose during the Cold War, but it’s a relic of another era that now stands in the way of our farmers, ranchers and businesses pursuing opportunities to grow and create jobs,” Baucus said in a statement.
Baucus was joined in sponsoring the bill by Senate Foriegn Relations Committee chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., and Republicans John McCain of Arizona and John Thune of South Dakota.
But eight Finance Committee Republicans, led by ranking Republican Orrin Hatch of Utah, wrote a letter to Baucus saying that Congress cannot ignore ongoing issues with Russia in moving to normalize trade relations.
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Top US Senators Introduce Bill to Lift Trade Restrictions With Russia
A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Tuesday to lift trade restrictions on Russia, with the aim of passing the bill along with measures to protect human rights in the country before it joins the World Trade Organization as expected this summer.
The bill would approve permanent, normal trade relations with Russia by the August recess, a top trade priority for the Obama administration.
But Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.) also vowed to incorporate provisions being championed by an increasing number of lawmakers on both sides to punish Russian officials for any human-rights violations.
Administration officials have called for Congress to pass the trade bill separately from any human-rights legislation, a plan that has also been supported by Rep. Dave Camp (R., Mich.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which overseas trade issues.
Mr. Baucus said that once the Senate passes the bill, he would work with the House to ensure any final version of the legislation includes the full text of the so-called “Magnitsky” bill, named after a lawyer who died in a Russian prison in 2009 after accusing government officials of fraud.
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Baucus to pair Russian trade bill with Magnitsky human rights measure
The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee is linking support for increased trade with Russia to a human rights bill that could punish Russian officials.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Tuesday announced in a letter he backs a plan to pair legislation granting normal trade relations with Russia with the so-called Magnitsky legislation that would freeze assets and deny U.S. visas to Russian officials linked to human rights abuses.
The bill is named for Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died while in police custody.
Russia is strongly opposed to the Magnitsky bill and has warned its passage would cool relations with the U.S. and could lead to retaliation. The Obama administration does not support the legislation.
Multinational companies have also expressed alarm at the Magnitsky bill, fearing it could result in sanctions on their businesses.
But Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and other supporters of the bill argue the U.S. must take a tougher stand against human rights abuses in Russia. They hope to force the issue by paring the bill with legislation granting Russia permanent normal trade relations, a requirement for the U.S. with Russia’s entry to the World Trade Organization.
If the U.S. does not grant Russia the improved trade status, Russia could impose higher tariffs on U.S. products.
Baucus’s letter to Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said he backs their position that passage of permanent normal trade relations for Russia is contingent upon passage of the Magnitsky bil.
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Human rights concerns complicate efforts to ramp up Russia trade
The Hill
Congress, the Obama administration and business groups are ramping up efforts to pave the way this summer for improved trade relations with Russia, but that work is being complicated by parallel efforts to address human rights concerns in that country.
While the push is being made to repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment and grant permanent normal trade relations, some lawmakers are also eager to pass a measure designed to signal to Moscow that human rights and national security violations won’t be tolerated as that nation prepares to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).
In the ever complicated realm of U.S.-Russia relations, supporters of repealing Jackson-Vanik — a 37-year-old provision designed to put pressure on Communist nations for human-rights abuses and emigration policies — are emphasizing that Russia’s entry into the WTO does not require the U.S. to pass any additional measures .
The United States gives up nothing and won’t be required to change its laws, said Edward Gerwin, senior fellow for trade and global economic policy at Third Way, told The Hill.
Not only are normal trade relations denied to nations that restrict emigration, but without a repeal, U.S. businesses would lose the benefits derived from a more open Russian market, putting companies at a competitive disadvantage.
We’re not rewarding the Russians, Gerwin said. From a policy standpoint keeping Jackson-Vanik doesn’t get us anywhere, he said.
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To learn more about what happened to Sergei Magnitsky please read below
- Sergei Magnitsky
- Why was Sergei Magnitsky arrested?
- Sergei Magnitsky’s torture and death in prison
- President’s investigation sabotaged and going nowhere
- The corrupt officers attempt to arrest 8 lawyers
- Past crimes committed by the same corrupt officers
- Petitions requesting a real investigation into Magnitsky's death
- Worldwide reaction, calls to punish those responsible for corruption and murder
- Complaints against Lt.Col. Kuznetsov
- Complaints against Major Karpov
- Cover up
- Press about Magnitsky
- Bloggers about Magnitsky
- Corrupt officers:
- Sign petition
- Citizen investigator
- Join Justice for Magnitsky group on Facebook
- Contact us
- Sergei Magnitsky
