Obama introduces Iran sanctions bill

HILARY LEILA KRIEGER, Jerusalem Post Correspondent , THE JERUSALEM POST

May. 16, 2007

US Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) and Representative Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) introduced the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2007 on Wednesday in a bid to rachet up financial pressure on Iran, which is continuing its uranium enrichment program in defiance of the international community.

The legislation would establish a federal list of entities that invest in Iran and remove some of the legal barriers, including the threat of certain lawsuits, for Americans who want to divest from them.

"The Iranian government uses the billions of dollars it earns from its oil and gas industry to build its nuclear program and to fund terrorist groups that export its militaristic and radical ideology to Iraq and throughout the Middle East," Obama said.

"Pressuring companies to cut their financial ties with Iran is critical to ensuring that sanctions have their intended result."

"This legislation makes use of one of the most successful diplomatic tools available to discourage Iran from developing nuclear weapons: the financial vise," Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC), said at a press conference announcing the proposed legislation.

"We can put the squeeze on Iran using this tool; it encourages companies and individuals to remove their money from any investment that might support Tehran's heedless quest for nuclear weapons."

The move is the latest effort to use economic means as a way to curtail Iran's nuclear program. Already the US Treasury has taken action to persuade foreign companies and financial institutions to reconsider their involvement with the Iranian economy. US companies are already almost entirely barred from such investments.

Deputy Secretary Robert M. Kimmitt touted the Treasury's activity at a recent Washington Institute For Near East Studies event. "

We have worked closely with our fellow finance ministries and central banks abroad to build consensus on these financial measures, and the effect has been striking: international partners who originally resisted the idea of applying sanctions on Iran have reversed this position and now support pressuring the Iranian regime to renounce its support for WMD proliferation and to comply with its international obligations," he said.

"This is especially significant because we believe that segments of Iranian society beyond President Ahmadinejad and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps -- including the mullahs, their merchant class backers, and liberalizing forces -- understand the high costs of the country's increasing isolation and the need to change its behavior."

Yet many in Congress think the executive branch hasn't done enough to pursue Iran on financial grounds. Lantos has already submitted another bill tightening US sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

The act proposed Wednesday would additionally require the US government to publish a list every six months of those companies that have an investment of more than $20 million in Iran's energy sector and establish a "Sense of the Congress" urging a federal savings plan to offer a terror-free investment option for government workers.

The legislation follows the introduction of a bill earlier this week to "strengthen sanctions against the Government of Syria, to enhance multilateral commitment to address the Government of Syria's threatening policies, to establish a program to support a transition to a democratically-elected government in Syria." It was put forth by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida), HFAC's ranking member.

Also this week, HFAC Middle East and South Asian subcommittee chairman Gary Ackerman (D-New York) sponsored a bill requiring the US Secretary of State to prepare a report for Congress on the efforts to bring to justice the Palestinians behind the killing of three American security personnel in Gaza in 2003.

Republicans want tough Syrian policy

WASHINGTON, May 15 (UPI) -- Top Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives moved Tuesday to step up sanctions on Syria and encourage overthrow of that regime.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and four others introduced the Syria Accountability and Liberation Act, an update of the 2003 Syrian Accountability and Lebanese Liberation Act, which had the unanimous support of the House.

The bill establishes a program "to support pro-democracy advocates and human rights dissidents in Syria toward transition to a government that does not pose a threat to the United States, our interests, and our allies," according to Ros-Lehtinen's office.

The language is similar to that contained in the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, which the Bush administration cited as part of its justification for and approval for the 2003 invasion. That bill established it as the "policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime."

Many of the foreign fighters and Sunni insurgents in Iraq are believed by U.S. intelligence to use Syria as a safe harbor and transit point for funds, weapons and fighters. It is also a key destination for the smuggling of Iraqi oil.

"Syria's state-sponsorship of Islamist terrorist organizations, including those conducting attacks in Iraq, its development of unconventional weapons capabilities, and brutal oppression of the Syrian people must be immediately addressed before it escalates to the level of threat posed by Iran today," said Ros-Lehtinen.

Further Syria sanctions introduced

 Republican lawmakers introduced legislation further sanctioning Syria.

The Syria Accountability and Liberation Act introduced Tuesday by Republican lawmakers including Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, the ranking Republican on the U.S. House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, would codify current sanctions and add new ones on those who invest $5 million or more in the Syrian energy sector. It also would affect individuals and countries who contribute to Syria's weapons programs.

The act would establish a program to support the activities of pro-democracy advocates and human rights dissidents in Syria.

"Syria's state-sponsorship of Islamist terrorist organizations, including those conducting attacks in Iraq, its development of unconventional weapons capabilities and brutal oppression of the Syrian people must be immediately addressed before it escalates to the level of threat posed by Iran today," Ros-Lehtinen said.

Republicans in Congress Press Bush for Sanctions on Sudan

Lawmakers Decry Iran-India Alliance

Leaders Warn of Damage to Nuclear Deal

By Glenn Kessler

Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, May 3, 2007; A15

Key congressional supporters of closer ties with India have signed a toughly worded bipartisan letter to the Indian prime minister warning of "grave concern" that India's ties with Iran "have the potential to significantly harm prospects" for a nuclear cooperation deal that President Bush reached with India in 2005.

The letter is noteworthy for its tone and because it was signed by the Democratic as well as Republican leaders of the key congressional panels involved in the issue. It was sent yesterday, one day after Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon publicly dismissed reports of closer military cooperation with Iran.

The letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh lists a series of recent meetings between Indian and Iranian officials as indications of growing cooperation between the two countries on military and energy issues. "We must stress that the subject of India's strengthening relationship with Iran will inevitably be a factor" when Congress votes on the final language of the nuclear agreement, the letter said.

Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have pushed hard for the nuclear deal with India, saying that rewriting U.S. laws to allow peaceful nuclear cooperation with India will help usher in a new era in U.S.-India relations. But the nuclear accord has been opposed by nonproliferation experts, who fear it would weaken rules preventing the spread of nuclear weapons by allowing the sale of U.S. nuclear technology to a country that has refused to join the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.

When Congress debated a bill to give initial approval to the accord with India, lawmakers considered tying final passage to India's dealings with Iran but dropped that provision under pressure from the administration.

Congressional aides, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to not upstage the lawmakers, said anger has been building in Congress over the perception that India stepped up contacts with Iran this year, just weeks after the initial bill was approved by Congress.

Lawmakers "are not just alarmed but actually outraged by India's outreach to Iran," one aide said.

The letter was signed by Reps. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.), the panel's ranking Republican; Howard L. Berman (D-Calif.); Gary L. Ackerman (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Middle East and South Asia subcommittee; Mike Pence (Ind.), the subcommittee's ranking Republican; Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), chairman of the terrorism and nonproliferation subcommittee; and Ed Royce (Calif.), that subcommittee's ranking Republican.

"It is difficult for us to fathom why India, a democracy engaged in its own struggle against terrorism, would want to enhance security cooperation with a repressive government widely regarded as the world's most active state sponsor of terrorism," the letter said.

It added that "India's pursuit of closer relations with Iran appears to be inconsistent with the letter and spirit" of Bush and Singh's announcement of a "global partnership" between the two countries.

Congressional aides said a subtext of the letter is growing concern in Congress that the administration is too eager to wrap up negotiations with India. Menon negotiated with U.S. officials in Washington this week, and both sides reported that they hope to strike a final deal later this month.

An Indian Embassy official said that he had not seen the letter but that Menon's comments on Tuesday had addressed the issue.

27 tons of cocaine seized

By Jerry Seper

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

May 3, 2007

The Colombian navy has uncovered 27 tons of cocaine buried along the Pacific Ocean 250 miles west of the capital Bogota in the largest drug seizure in the nation's history, the country's defense minister said.

    Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said during a press conference that the cocaine, with an estimated street value of more than $500 million, was discovered Sunday buried in more than 900 separate packages of 55 pounds each near the coastal town of Pizarro.

    Mr. Santos said the seizure of the drugs, buried near an estuary accessible only by sea, was the culmination of an eight-month undercover investigation and, while no arrests were made, the cocaine was thought to have belonged to Colombia's largest drug-trafficking organization, the Norte del Valle cartel, which operates near the area.

    The seizure became public as Colombian President Alvaro Uribe visited Washington yesterday to shore up support on Capitol Hill and at the White House for the U.S.-backed Plan Colombia, an anti-drug and counterinsurgency program that has cost the United States more than $5 billion since 2000.

    Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told President Bush in a letter last week that a proposed cut in funding to Colombia and its war on drugs was a mistake.

    "As we wage war in Afghanistan and Iraq against enemies who threaten our freedom and way of life, we must remember that Colombia is a key ally in our struggle, with the Colombian National Police training -- both in Kabul and Bogota -- Afghanistan's counternarcotics police," Mrs. Ros-Lehtinen said.

    "This cut, the first in U.S. aid to Colombia in years, sends the wrong message to that nation and to its president, Alvaro Uribe, who has been an invaluable supporter of strong cooperation between our two countries," she said.

    Colombia is the world's leading cocaine producer, with an estimated annual production of more than 500 tons -- about 90 percent of which is consumed in the United States.

    Most of the cocaine leaves the country by sea, on go-fast boats that transport it along the Central American coast for transfer to overland vehicles headed through Mexico into the United States.

    Colombia's navy made headlines in October when it found 9.3 tons of cocaine on three go-fast boats near the Pacific coastal port city of Buenaventura -- its biggest seizure of 2006.

Human Shields Condemned

Last week the House passed a resolution condemning the use of human shields in the Middle East, and singling out Hezbollah for the practice during its war against Israel last year.

Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) sponsored the legislation.

There was some interesting interplay during floor debate over the issue. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), a Democratic candidate for the 2008 presidential nomination, supported the measure, but also brought up Israel's use of cluster munitions during the war.

To make his point, Kucinich displayed a fragment of a cluster bomb retrieved from Lebanon.

"I wanted to just show Congress this, because what we are talking about, using people as human shields, it's important also for the Israeli government to take responsibilities for their actions as well. I say this as someone who speaks in defense of Israel and the defense of Israel's right to survive."

In response, Ackerman said Israel used the cluster bombs in self-defense, and asked why the Lebanese people did not refuse to harbor the Hezbollah guerillas, who were using their villages as launching pads for attacks against Israeli civilians.

Also last week: the Senate passed by unanimous consent a resolution marking Israel?s 59th birthday and calling the Jewish state a ?shining model of democratic values.? Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) sponsored the measure.

Maryland's other senator , Democrat Ben Cardin , served as co-host of a Capitol Hill reception marking May as Jewish American Heritage Month. The reception featured an exhibit created by the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington now on display in a Senate office building.

The exhibit "has done an outstanding job of preserving, chronicling and presenting the story of Washington Jewish life from 1795 to the present," Cardin said in a statement.

U.S. House members blast China on range of issues

The Associated Press

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

WASHINGTON: Members of the U.S. Congress rebuked China on a range of issues Tuesday, criticizing Beijing's test of an anti-satellite weapon, its military buildup, its policy of forced abortion, its support of ruthless regimes, and its repatriation of North Korean refugees in violation of international law.

At a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, lawmakers repeatedly expressed concern over China's suitability to host the 2008 Olympic Games.

"If ever there was a time for China to get its house in order, this is it," said committee chairman Tom Lantos, a Democrat.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican and long a strident critic of China, noted that the United States has played a significant role giving China the wherewithal to become a military power because of China's robust U.S.-bound exports.

"We have built up a Frankenstein that now threatens us," Rohrabacher said.

In a similar vein, Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen, a Republican, noted that China is planning a 17.8 percent increase in its military budget for the next financial year.

"Who's the target?" she asked.

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte testified that the motives behind China's military buildup are unclear and are a matter of concern to both United States and China's neighbors.

"To enhance -- rather than detract from -- regional security, China should be more open about its military budget, doctrine, and intentions," said Negroponte, who is the chief adviser tot Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on China and on Asia in general.

Negroponte agreed with China's critics on the committee that Beijing falls short on a number of issues. But, he said, the overall picture is not uniformly negative.

He said it would not have been possible in the relatively recent past to imagine China supporting U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea -- as it did last year after Pyongyang tested a nuclear weapon.

"They are capable of shifting," Negroponte said, referring to the Chinese authorities. "They are changing."

As another example, he cited China's relations with other East Asian countries.

"China's improved relations with its neighbors are a testament to the country's robust trade ties, but also to China's increasingly skillful diplomacy. This is a positive development," he said.

China caused a stir last January when it downed one of its own satellites, using a missile warhead. It triggered fears of a big power competition for supremacy in space, and China's unwillingness to comment on the action for almost two weeks ago caused widespread unease.

Negroponte raised the possibility that the Chinese military may have undertaken the action on its own, without the knowledge of the country's political leadership.

Sitting behind Negroponte were a group of people wearing shirts emblazoned with the words: "Genocide Olympics."

This was a reference to the support China has shown for the Sudanese government, despite Khartoum's role in the violence in the western Sudanese region of Darfur. The Bush administration has characterized the suffering there as genocide.

Several committee members also criticized China's support for Sudan. Negroponte agreed that Beijing "is seen as Khartoum's diplomatic patron and benefactor."

But he also said the United States has had a "measure of success" in sensitizing the Chinese leadership to the need to respond to the human suffering in Darfur.

Amnesty International made public on Tuesday a letter signed by 96 senators to Chinese President Hu Jintao urging him to increase the pressure on Sudan.

Specifically, the letter calls on Hu to reconsider his offer to Sudan of an interest-free loan to build a presidential palace in Khartoum.

"We believe that extending such a loan would clearly send the wrong message to Khartoum," the letter said.

It urged Hu to impress on President Omar al-Bashir the need to halt Sudanese military operations in Darfur and to withdraw Sudanese troops from the area.