MOSCOW, February 21 (RIA Novosti) - The United States plans to rescind the Jackson-Vanik amendment, which has been restricting trade with Russia, a high-ranking U.S. congressman said Wednesday.
Tom Lantos, the chairman of the U.S. Congressional Foreign Affairs Committee, who is currently on an official visit to Moscow, said that the time has come to rescind the amendment.
The 1974 Jackson-Vanik Amendment links U.S. trade benefits, known as Normal Trade Relations (NTR), to the emigration and human rights policies of Communist or former Communist countries. The amendment has been lifted for many of Russia's former Communist allies, but still remains in force for Russia.
Lantos suggested that such carry-overs from the Cold War should be left behind, and promised to do everything possible to ensure the amendment's abolition.
The congressman added that he expected constructive and positive cooperation between Russia and the United States, despite current tensions.
Russia and the United States are currently in a dispute over American plans to deploy elements of its missile shield in Central Europe. Moscow strongly opposes the deployment of a missile shield in its former backyard in Central Europe, describing the plans as a threat to Russian national security.
Lantos also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech at the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy earlier this month will not hinder cooperation between the two countries and will not change America's positive attitude toward Russia.
The Russian leader told the conference in Munich that the reasons the U.S. cited in favor of deploying a missile defense system in Europe are not convincing enough, as to launch North Korean ballistic missiles against the U.S. across Western Europe would be in conflict with the laws of ballistics.
"This clearly contradicts ballistics laws. Or, as we say in Russia, it's like trying to reach your left ear with your right hand," he said at the conference.
The congressman said that during his visit to Moscow he agreed with Konstantin Kosachev, who heads the international committee in the Russian parliament's lower house, to establish regular visits by Russian and American parliamentarians to each other's countries.
The United States and Russia understand that there is still a lot to do to counter global threats of terrorism, he said, and it is necessary to carry on with a civilized dialogue to jointly counter all forms of terrorism.
During the visit to Moscow Lantos held a meeting on his initiative with Russian Education and Science Minister Andrei Fursenko as he said Russia's intellectual resources are just as important as its energy reserves.
Lantos, who once introduced to the Congress a resolution to defend jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, told journalists he still believes Khodorkovsky is a political prisoner and would not mind visiting him in prison.
Founder of now bankrupt Yukos oil company Khodorkovsky is serving an eight-year prison term for fraud and tax evasion. The jailed tycoon insists his prosecution was orchestrated by the authorities to silence his criticism of President Vladimir Putin and as is part of a campaign to bring mineral assets under Kremlin control.
