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Congress is ready to work with the White House, when the time is right, to make Russia part of the rule-based trading community, said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, chairman of the House Ways and Means trade subcommittee. But "none of that will occur until we have successfully moved the three pending free trade agreements." Even with action on the three trade deals, ending Jackson-Vanik and extending permanent normal trade relations to Russia will be no easy sell. There's concern on both sides of the aisle about Russia's backsliding on democracy, its poor human rights record and its lack of cooperation on Iran. Economically there is anger over Russian curbs on U.S. poultry and other meat imports and its poor enforcement of intellectual property rights. Improvement in those two economic areas are needed "to give Congress the confidence that Russia can and will live up to its commitments," Brady said. At a recent Senate Finance Committee hearing, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said he would work with Congress this year to grant Russia permanent normal trade relations. Senators demanded guarantees that Russia would not be like China, which was given permanent trade status in 1999 but continues to violate U.S. intellectual property rights.
At question is whether Jackson-Vanik serves any purpose in steering Russia toward becoming a better trading partner. The U.S.-Russia Business Council's Verona maintains that it is no longer relevant to political and social realities in Russia. Instead, "it remains an irritant" in U.S.-Russia relations, Verona said. "Many Russians see the unfulfilled promises of the past three U.S. administrations to lift the amendment as evidence of bad faith on our part."
[Associated
Press;
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