[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1275 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1275

  To provide the President with the authority to negotiate agreements 
   with the Government of Russia, and other former Soviet republics, 
providing economic assistance in return for reimbursement from natural 
                   resources, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 10, 1993

  Mr. Dreier introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide the President with the authority to negotiate agreements 
   with the Government of Russia, and other former Soviet republics, 
providing economic assistance in return for reimbursement from natural 
                   resources, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. POLICY TOWARD THE FORMER SOVIET UNION.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) if the transformation of the totalitarian Soviet Union 
        to independent states does not result in the creation of free 
        market economies and functioning democracies, there is a real 
        threat of economic and social collapse, the reemergence of 
        threatening totalitarian states, and the continued rapid 
        production of conventional weapons and weapons of mass 
        destruction;
            (2) the national security interests of the United States 
        are best served by stable, democratic societies and free 
        markets in Russia and the other former Soviet republics;
            (3) the economic interests of the United States are best 
        served by the full integration of Russia and the other former 
        Soviet republics into world markets; and
            (4) the transformation into working democracies with open 
        market economies is primarily the responsibility of the former 
        republics themselves, but the rest of the world can make 
        significant contributions to this effort, linking such 
        contributions to well-planned reform programs.
    (b) Policy.--It is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) it should be the goal of United States policy toward 
        the former Soviet Union to help Russia and the other former 
        Soviet republics, and the Baltic states, achieve economic and 
        political stability through the establishment of democratic 
        states with free market economies that are integrated into the 
        international market economy and political community;
            (2) the President should immediately begin consultations 
        with the Congress with respect to, and promptly prepare and 
        transmit to the Congress, a comprehensive plan to assist 
        Russia, and those former Soviet republics with democratically 
        elected governments which are moving toward free market 
        economies; and
            (3) this plan should include expeditious action--
                    (A) to provide prompt humanitarian assistance when 
                necessary to prevent life-threatening shortages of food 
                and urgently needed medical supplies;
                    (B) to combat the proliferation of nuclear weapons 
                and components and nuclear weapons technology;
                    (C) to provide technical and economic assistance to 
                facilitate the emergence of free market economies and 
                democratic institutions; and
                    (D) to help the former Soviet republics draft laws, 
                establish political and legal structures, and build 
                institutions that facilitate open, democratic, free 
                market societies that protect individual rights.

SEC. 2. REPAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS FOR UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Reimbursement Arrangements.--Assistance provided to Russia and 
other former Soviet republics, or any successor entity, shall be 
conditioned, to the extent that the President determines to be 
appropriate after consultation with the recipient government, upon the 
agreement of the recipient government to reimburse the United States 
Government within seven years for the cost of such assistance from 
natural resources or other materials available to the recipient 
government.
    (b) Reports to the Congress.--At the end of each fiscal year in 
which assistance is provided to Russia and the other former Soviet 
republics, the President shall provide a report to the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs in the House, the Committee on Foreign Relations in the 
Senate, the Committee on Armed Service of the House of Representatives 
and Senate, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
Representatives and Senate, which shall at a minimum, set forth--
            (1) determinations made by the President pertaining to 
        natural resource compensation in each case in which assistance 
        is provided to Russia or the other former republics;
            (2) the status of any ongoing discussions regarding natural 
        resource compensation with governments who the President is 
        considering the provision of assistance;
            (3) the amount, type and intended date of delivery of any 
        natural resource compensation agreed upon by recipient 
        governments;
            (4) the amount, type, value and storage location of any 
        natural resource compensation received by the United States 
        Government for assistance to Russia or other former Soviet 
        republics.
    (c) Use of Natural Resources as Repayment.--The President shall 
encourage the reimbursement required under subsection (a) to be made 
through the provision of natural resources, such as oil and petroleum 
products, and those strategic and critical materials stockpiled under 
the authority of section 4 of the Strategic and Critical Materials 
Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C. 98c).

SEC. 3. CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH ASSISTANCE IS PROHIBITED.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no assistance may be 
provided by the United States to any government of a former Soviet 
republic which--
            (1) has not been freely and democratically chosen, or which 
        is not moving toward a free society, a free market economy, and 
        the privatization of most sectors of the economy;
            (2) takes action to restrict the emigration of Jews or 
        Christians or otherwise discriminates against Jews or 
        Christians on the basis of their religion; or
            (3) is providing military or economic assistance to Cuba, 
        North Korea, Vietnam, Angola, or any organization in any 
        country which seeks the violent overthrow of a democratically 
        elected government.

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