Congressional Statements

Brown/Bonior commend President Clinton on decision to waive restrictions on loans to Pakistan and India

Letter to President Clinton
November 19, 1999

The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton
President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing to commend your decision to waive a number of restrictions on financial and commercial loans to the governments of Pakistan and India. Our nation should take a more active interest in South Asia, and we believe your judgment will generate an enormous amount of good will for the United States.

However, we were puzzled by your failure to extend the most important form of financial assistance to India, the World Bank's "nonbasic" human needs loans. On repeated occasions, your Administration has proclaimed our national interest is to advance the spread of democracy. Last month, over 350 million people elected a new government in India. Not only was this the largest election in history, it was an example of how democracy can work for any nation, regardless of its population or religious composition.

We therefore urge you to waive the sole remaining economic sanctions and support India's effort to obtain "nonbasic" human need loans from the World Bank. Not only are these funds crucial to helping India build a badly-needed transportation and electronic infrastructure, they would bring economic hope to some of the world's poorest people. In addition, by blocking these funds, your Administration is inadvertently hurting our long-term economic interests.

A waiver of this sanction will send a strong signal to the people of India, as well as to other nations, that your Administration supports and encourages the development of democratic institutions. We urge you to waive U.S. opposition to loans to India by international financial institutions, and to continue your efforts to spread of democracy in South Asia.

Sincerely,
DAVID BONIOR
SHERROD BROWN