Congressional Statements

Pallone hails partial de-listing of entities from sanctions list

Will continue to press Administration on remaining entities

Press Release
December 17, 1999

Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. D-NJ, hailed the decision by the U.S. Commerce Department to remove 51 Indian companies and research institutions from its so-called "entities list," created in 1998 as a punitive measure after India's nuclear tests.

Pallone, who has been one of Congress's most outspoken opponents of the entities list, noted that more than 150 Indian entities remain on the Commerce Department's list. He said he would continue to press the Clinton Administration to review the remaining sanctioned entities to determine which do not belong there, and also to refine the list of specific items sanctioned.

In June, Pallone introduced legislation (House Concurrent Resolution 146) aimed at getting the Clinton Administration to review the list with regard to India and Pakistan, and remove from the list those entities that had little or nothing to do with nuclear weapons production. He had urged support for the adoption of a provision in the fiscal year 2000 Defense Appropriations Act to accomplish the same purpose. That amendment was ultimately adopted, and the Administration has now moved to better focus the sanctions on their intended goal of curbing proliferation.

"This is a good first step," Pallone said. "I appreciate the apparent recognition by the Administration that they need to better focus the sanctions. They had simply cast too wide a net in listing entities that do not threaten U.S. security interests.

"We have to keep pressing the Administration on this issue, to make sure that our policies promote stability, confidence-building and a better climate for trade and investment between India and the US.

"There were some truly absurd examples, some of which have been taken off the list, such as medical research facilities and academic institutions. This punitive list, in effect, is a broad trade embargo against companies and agencies with little or no direct connection to nuclear weapons programs. Besides undeservedly punishing the Indian entities, the list also ends up hurting U.S. firms and research organizations that have ties with them."