WASHINGTON (PTI): Clinton Administration, which says U.S. foreign policy should not be constrained by sanctions that target individual nations, has proposed to Congress replacing the Pressler Amendment with a Nonspecific, new law under which the U.S. President can lift or Impose sanctions against any country. At present the 1985 Presler sanctions, aimed at eliminating nuclear weapons in south Asia, applies Only to Pakistan, under which U.S. military and economic aid was halted to that country in 1990, State department spokesman Mike McCurry said on Nov.24, the Administration wanted to change Pressler because it had not COL achieved its objective in south Asia.
“We believe India and Pakistan are both now in ‘a position where they have or can assemble nuclear weapons in a short timeframe,” he said.
‘The draft legislation was sent to Congress on Tuesday without public announcement.
Calling for the withdrawal of the Pressler, the Administration has proposed the legislation that would bar aid to “nonnuclear weapon Stales” a formulation that analysts said was clearly directed at India because Pakistan is already covered by Pressler having equipment capable of enriching or reprocessing fissile materials for a nuclear bomb.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 3, 1993
