Under Secretary of State Alan Larson is urging Congress to suspend a Cold War restriction on trade with Russia as a means of bolstering a new political, strategic and economic bilateral relationship with the former communist country.
Testifying April 11 before a House Ways and Means subcommittee, he said that exempting Russia from the 1974 Jackson-Vanik amendment would help affirm that the country has made the right decision in strengthening ties with the West and pursuing a partnership with the United States. Jackson-Vanik denies normal trade relations to countries that restrict emigration.
President Putin has chosen a course designed to make Russia a leading and responsible member of the international community and has committed Russia to meaningful economic reforms, Larson said.
It is strongly in the U.S. interest to encourage him to continue these reforms, "often against domestic opposition," he added.
"President Bush wants to send President Putin a signal that the United States is a reliable partner," Larson said.
He noted that the scope and active nature of U.S.-Russian cooperation would have been unthinkable at the time of the passage of the Jackson-Vanik amendment.
"Graduating" Russia from it would pave the way for granting most favored nation trading status to that country and signify the normalization of U.S. trade relations with Russia.
Larson said that the amendment -- created to bring about free emigration from the Soviet Union -- had achieved its objective.
While noting the progress Russia has made on human rights, Larson said the administration still has significant concerns in that arena and intends to work with Russia to make sure that the improvements continue.
But, with the Soviet Union gone and the era of repression and curtailed freedoms over, he said, "graduating" Russia from Jackson-Vanik is "the correct and logical step" to take.