[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 201 (Thursday, December 24, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S14136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COMPREHENSIVE IRAN SANCTIONS, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND DIVESTMENT ACT

  Mr REID. I want to speak today about S.2799, the Comprehensive Iran 
Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2009. This important 
piece of legislation, which combines legislation written by Senator 
Dodd with legislation introduced by Senators Bayh, Lieberman and Kyl, 
was passed by the Banking Committee earlier this month. It would impose 
new sanctions on Iran's refined petroleum sector and tighten existing 
U.S. sanctions in an effort to create new pressure on the Iranian 
regime and help stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
  I know that Senator Kerry, the chairman of the Foreign Relations 
Committee, has been working hard, along with other colleagues, to get a 
UC agreement so we can get this legislation passed. I understand that 
we are making good progress towards reaching that goal.
  As we move forward with these negotiations, I want everyone to know 
that I am committed to getting this legislation to the floor sometime 
after we return in January.
  Mr. DODD. I thank the majority leader for all of his help in trying 
to move this legislation forward. This comprehensive sanctions 
legislation would arm the administration with critical tools to apply 
additional pressure on the Iranian regime and disrupt its proliferation 
and terrorist activities at a pivotal time--a time when Iran's leaders 
continue to flaunt the will of the international community, trample on 
the rights of its own people, and threaten the national interests of 
the United States and our strongest allies, including Israel.
  It is now clearer than ever that tougher sanctions must be a key 
element of our comprehensive Iran strategy going forward. My primary 
goal with this bill is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear 
weapons capability. That is why this measure passed the Senate Banking 
Committee unanimously in October, and I had hoped that we would be able 
to consider it in the Senate and move toward a conference with the 
House before we went out for the holidays. While I would have strongly 
preferred that, I recognize that given the delays on health care 
reform, we will not now have time to do that. I am also aware that the 
administration continues to have some concerns about how to create 
incentives in the bill for countries to cooperate more closely with 
U.S. efforts to impose tough new multilateral sanctions. I believe we 
have made some progress in our discussions of recent days, and I am 
grateful that the majority leader has indicated his willingness to move 
forward on the bill as soon as possible after we return.
  Mr. KERRY. I appreciate Senator Reid's commitment to move forward 
with this legislation and his support of the progress we are making 
towards a UC agreement. We all share the goal of creating maximum 
leverage in our efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear 
weapon--this is a vital national security goal of the United States, 
and obviously of critical importance to our allies in Israel and around 
the world.
  I believe that this legislation has the potential to make an 
important contribution to that effort. Having the Senate stand united 
with the administration behind this legislation would send a very 
strong and positive signal. That is why many of us are committed to 
working with the administration and the bill's sponsors to craft an 
amendment that all can agree on. I know these discussions will be 
continuing during recess with the intention of reaching a mutually 
agreeable resolution so that this legislation can be considered as soon 
as possible when we get back.

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