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July 1, 1999

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US Congressman questions trade embargo
on Indian, Pakistani companies

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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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