[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 103 (Monday, July 14, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9323-S9325]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXTENSION OF NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS TO SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for
Senate Amendment No. 1149, which would grant the President the
authority to extend normal trade relations to Serbia and Montenegro.
As my colleagues may be aware, Serbia and Montenegro is one of just
four countries that is currently denied normal trade relations, NTR, by
the United States. Others in that group include North Korea, Cuba and
Laos. Although there are certainly challenges in Serbia and Montenegro
that must be addressed, as we discussed during a hearing of the Foreign
Relations Committee 2 weeks ago, there is no doubt among my colleagues
that this country no longer belongs in this category of ``bad actors.''
While the President has the authority to extend normal trade
relations to most countries, the case of Serbia and Montenegro is
different. In 1992, Congress revoked most favored nation status for
Yugoslavia in response to the policies of former Yugoslav dictator
Slobodan Milosevic, who was supporting nationalist Serbian aggression
in the conflicts in Croatia and Bosnia.
The legislation passed in 1992, P.L. 102-420, prohibits the extension
of normal trade relations to Yugoslavia, now Serbia and Montenegro,
until certain conditions have been met. The President must certify that
Serbia and Montenegro has ceased armed conflict with other peoples of
the former Yugoslavia, agreed to respect the borders of the former
Yugoslav states, and ended all support to Bosnian Serb forces.
As written, the law intended to stop Milosevic from aiding Serbian
forces responsible for brutal atrocities during the 1990s. There is no
doubt that the situation in Serbia and Montenegro has changed, and that
the spirit of these conditions has been met. However, some support for
Bosnian Serb forces is permitted under the Dayton Peace Accords signed
in 1996. Given the situation on the ground in the early 1990s, the
legislation enacted in 1992 did not provide the flexibility for this
situation. As such, a legislative fix is required to permit the
President to extend NTR to Serbia and Montenegro.
With Milosevic behind bars at The Hague and the current government
taking action to promote democratic reforms following the assassination
of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic on March 12, 2003, I believe
that it is time to take action to extend normal trade relations to
Serbia and Montenegro. While we should continue to call on Serbia and
Montenegro to meet its international obligations to apprehend war
criminals and cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for
the Former Yugoslivia, we should take this step to promote trade,
economic development, and improved relations between the United States
and Serbia and Montenegro.
[[Page S9324]]
Many of my colleagues agree. A provision to give the President the
authority to extend NTR to Serbia and Montenegro is included in S. 671,
the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2003. While
this is an appropriate vehicle for this measure, I am frustrated that
this important piece of legislation is being held up indefinitely in
the Senate. I submit for the record a letter of June 26, 2003, signed
by myself and 65 of my colleagues calling for Senate passage of this
bill.
As a member of the Senate who pays close attention to developments in
southeast Europe, I am committed to doing all that I can to make sure
that this critical piece of legislation is passed during this session
of Congress, and I am hopeful to work closely with my colleagues to get
this done as soon as possible.
I ask unanimous consent that the June 26, 2003 letter be printed in
the Record.
There being no objection, the letter was ordered printed in the
Record, as follows:
June 26, 2003.
Hon. Bill Frist,
Majority Leader,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Majority Leader: We are writing to express our support
for quick Senate action on the Miscellaneous Trade and
Technical Corrections Act of 2003 (S. 671). The House of
Representatives passed similar legislation in the 107th
Congress, but the Senate was unable to complete action on it
before the Congress adjourned. On March 5, 2003, the House of
Representatives again overwhelmingly approved this important
legislation. The United States Senate has an opportunity to
pass a non-controversial bill that will provide crucial
savings and an economic boost to U.S. manufacturers,
consumers, and workers. However, this important legislation
is stalled awaiting action in the Senate.
For more than 20 years Congress has regularly utilized the
Miscellaneous Tariff bill procedure to move non-controversial
and largely technical trade legislation. S. 671 accomplishes
three vital measures: (1) it enables eligible U.S.
companies to import products duty free if the product is
not manufactured domestically; (2) it helps create jobs
for American workers by allowing companies to be more
competitive and function more cost efficiently; (3) it
significantly reduces costs for U.S. consumers. Should the
Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2003
fail to pass the Senate a second time, any future
opportunity for businesses to benefit from this valuable
procedure may be jeopardized.
Failure to enact the duty suspensions in S. 671 has
resulted in extraneous costs to U.S. manufacturers--through
taxes paid on imports that cannot be purchased domestically--
of roughly $32 million dollars in just the first five months
of this year. Manufacturing in the United States had
undergone 33 months of declining employment, and this bill
will create immediate benefits to American businesses and
will strengthen our economy. We strongly urge you to take the
necessary steps to move this legislation without further
amendments under normal Senate procedure.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter.
Please do not hesitate to contact us should you require
additional information regarding this request.
Sincerely,
Senators Alexander, Allen, Bayh, Biden, Bingaman, Bond,
Breaux, Brownback, Bunning, Campbell, Cantwell, Carper,
Chafee, Chambliss, Clinton, Cochran, Coleman, Collins,
Conrad, Cornyn, Corzine and Craig.
Senators Dayton, DeWine, Dodd, Domenici, Durbin, Edwards,
Ensign, Enzi, Feinstein, Graham of South Carolina,
Hagel, Harkin, Hatch, Hollings, Hutchinson, Inhofe,
Inouye, Jeffords, Kennedy, Kerry, Kyl, and Landrieu.
Senators Lautenberg, Leahy, Lieberman, Lincoln, Lott,
Lugar, McCain, Miller, Murkowski, Murray, Nelson of
Nebraska, Pryor, Roberts, Santorum, Schumer, Smith,
Snowe, Talent, Thomas, Voinovich, Warner, and Wyden.
Mr. LUGAR. I support Senator Voinovich's efforts to promote normal
trade relations with Serbia and Montenegro. Serbia and Montenegro is
one of only a handful of countries that do not have normal trade
relations with the United States, and the lack of normal trade
relations subjects Serbia and Montenegro to high tariff rates, making
it difficult for them to grow their economy.
While I do not believe that the State Department authorization bill
is the appropriate vehicle for this important legislation, I share the
concern of Senator Voinovich and so many other members that the
miscellaneous tariff reduction legislation, which includes the
provision granting normal trade relations to Serbia and Montenegro,
move forward expeditiously.
This legislation has been held up for six months for reasons
unrelated to any of the provisions in the legislation. In addition to
the provision for Serbia and Montenegro, the legislation contains a
number of tariff eliminations that help U.S. companies and workers, as
well as three provisions that are important for economic development in
Africa.
Recently I joined 65 of my colleagues in signing a letter to Senate
Majority Leader Frist urging him to bring the legislation up under
normal Senate procedures. It is my hope that this legislation will pass
the Senate soon.
I thank my colleague for raising this important issue, and I pledge
to work with him on its passage.
Mr. GRASSLEY. I rise in strong support of granting normal trade
relations status to Serbia and Montenegro, which was revoked from
Yugoslavia under U.S. sanctions in 1992. Senator Voinovich submitted an
amendment to the Department of State Authorization bill to grant normal
trade relations status to Serbia and Montenegro. However, because this
matter is within the jurisdiction of the Finance Committee, which I
chair, I felt it necessary to object to including the provision on that
piece of legislation.
Still, I understand Senator's Voinovich's frustration. The Finance
Committee reported out legislation which would renew normal trade
relations status for Serbia and Montenegro on March 20, 2003, in the
Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2003, S. 671. This
bill generally passes each year by unanimous consent in the Senate.
Unfortunately, the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill has been held up for
months by the insistence of some Senators on including an unrelated,
controversial provision to the bill. This provision cannot be included
in the bill because other Senators will object. By holding up this
important piece of legislation, U.S. manufacturers and workers whose
businesses rely on duty suspensions are being harmed. They are losing
money, and facing the possibility of laying off workers every day that
we fail to act.
This is important legislation, and I know that I am not the only one
who thinks so. Sixty-six of my colleagues sent a letter to the Majority
Leader, urging him to bring up S. 671 for a vote. I support their
efforts, and hope this vitally important legislation will move as soon
as possible. I would like to thank Senator Voinovich for raising the
issue, and ask that all my colleagues recognize not only the
importance, but the urgency of this legislation.
I will submit for the record a letter in support for NTR for Serbia
and Montenegro, from the America's Development Foundation, ADF, a
nonprofit organization assisting the international development of
democracy. The ADF is working in Serbia to promote economic and social
development through a program called Community Revitalization through
Democratic Action, or CRDA.
I will continue to try and pass normal trade relations for Serbia and
Montenegro and appreciate my colleague's strong support and advocacy on
the issue.
I ask unanimous consent that the letter to which I referred be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the
Record, as follows:
America's Development Foundation,
Alexandria, VA, July 3, 2003.
Senator Charles E. Grassley,
Chairman, Committee on Finance, Dirksen Senate Office
Building, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Grassley: Thank you for your leadership in
passing S. 671 out of the Senate Finance Committee. As you
are well aware this measure contains provisions that will
grant historic Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status to Serbia
& Montenegro.
America's Development Foundation (ADF) is a U.S. nonprofit
private voluntary organization dedicated to the international
development of democracy. We are very interested in the
economic and social development of Serbia & Montenegro. Among
our many activities around the world, we are now engaged in
revitalizing 70 communities located in 12 municipalities
comprising more than a million people in the Vojvodina region
of Serbia. Our broad portfolio of work is supported by the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
and includes providing assistance for income generating
activities for farmers and small and medium enterprises.
[[Page S9325]]
ADF is strongly supportive of the Bush Administration and
your Congressional leadership in highlighting the clear
linkages between development and trade. The economic growth
supported by free trade and open markets creates new jobs and
increased income for many people. From our direct/experience
working in Serbia, ADF sees a wonderful potential in further
advancing such linkages. NTR for Serbia & Montenegro will
promote its economic and social development and enhance the
prospects for strengthening democracy. Perhaps most
importantly, NTR for Serbia & Montenegro is in our nation's
direct national interests. Open markets and increased
investment will result not only in benefiting the people of
Serbia & Montenegro but also U.S. investment, trade and other
important strategic interests.
Thank you for championing S. 671. ADF looks forward to
quick passage of the bill by the U.S. Senate.
Sincerely,
Michael Miller,
President.
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