10 June 1998
HOUSE APPROVES IRAN MISSILE SANCTIONS AIMED AT RUSSIAN FIRMS
(Administration decries action, says veto is certain) (600) By Ralph Dannheisser USIA Congressional Correspondent Washington -- The House of Representatives has followed the Senate's lead in giving overwhelming approval to a bill designed to force an end to Russian transfers of missile technology to Iran. A White House spokesman says that President Clinton is certain to veto the controversial measure. But the margin of victory in both the House and Senate suggests the president has his work cut out for him in trying to shift enough votes to block the two-thirds margin needed to override the promised veto. The House's June 9 vote to approve the measure, formally called the Iran Missile Proliferation Sanctions Act, was 392-22, with three members voting "present." The Senate had acted May 22 by a vote of 90-4. The bill would require the president to submit a report to Congress, within 30 days of enactment, presenting any credible information which shows that specified entities transferred missile goods or technology to Iran after January 22, 1998. Such entities could face sanctions that include a denial of arms export licenses and elimination of all U.S. aid for two years. The president would be able to waive the sanctions for reasons of national security. The bill had initially called for sanctions in the case of any transfers taking place since August 8, 1995. But the Senate modified it by substituting the January 22, 1998 date -- the date on which the Russian government issued its own decree restricting exports of missile technology. While members of Congress, particularly Republicans, have complained that Russian companies and other entities have helped speed Iran's missile development program, the administration has taken the view that the sanctions measure would impede efforts already in progress to halt technology transfers to what it considers "rogue nations." When he was asked by reporters June 10 whether the president would surely veto the bill, White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry responded, "There's no doubt of that, correct." Arguing for the measure on the House floor June 9, Representative Porter Goss (Republican, Florida) said Congress was challenging the Russians "fairly and squarely to stop cheating." And, he said, the Clinton administration must "stop winking" at the alleged violations. A handful of Democratic leaders tried unsuccessfully to prevent passage. Representative Lee Hamilton of Indiana, who chaired the House International Relations Committee when the Democrats controlled Congress, warned that sanctions could backfire by discouraging Russia from cooperating. And Minority (Democratic) Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri called the legislation "premature" at a time when efforts are proceeding to gain Russian cooperation. Another section of the legislation passed by Congress would implement the chemical weapons treaty that the Senate approved last year. Republicans included that provision, ardently supported by the president, in hopes of warding off a veto of the combined legislation. The new sanctions legislation is in line with increasing Republican criticism of the administration's overall policy on technology transfers, particularly as it has applied to satellite deals between U.S. companies and China. At the same time, foreign policy specialists in Congress, including Hamilton and Senator Richard Lugar (Republican of Indiana), are seeking to reduce the use of sanctions -- an approach that they view as frequently counterproductive -- and limit sanctions that are imposed to a two-year lifespan, unless reauthorized. Some of them have suggested that the recent decisions by India and Pakistan to test nuclear weapons, in the face of sure and heavy U.S. financial sanctions, illustrate the limitations of the approach.
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