U.S. SENATE VOTES TO ALLOW PRESIDENTIAL WAIVER OF SECTION 907

PanARMENIAN.Net - Today U.S. Senate has passed a bill, which provides President Bush with authority to waive Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which bans the Administration to render direct aid to Azerbaijan until it lifts the blockade of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. The document stipulates for four conditions, in the presence of which the head of the country can waive this provision of law. The sanctions can be waived if: A) it is necessary to support United States efforts to counter terrorism; or B) it is necessary to support the operational readiness of United

States Armed Forces or coalition partners to counter terrorism; or C) it is important to Azerbaijan's border security; and D) it will not undermine or hamper ongoing efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan or be used by Azerbaijan for offensive purposes against Armenia. The right to waive Section 907 is conferred to the President until December 31, 2002.

As reported by Armenian National Committee of America, the Senate agreed it under extraordinary pressure from the State Department. "The vote took place in an environment in which grassroots advocacy and the dissemination of information to Senators was virtually impossible due to the closure of Senate offices over recent anthrax attacks," - the document spread by ANCA says. It emphasizes at the same time, a broad range of Armenian American community organizations will continue to work through the remainder of the legislative process to defend Section 907. ANCA leadership expressed disappointment by the Senate decision, which can "hamper U.S. interests in the Southern Caucasus region."

ANCA report also says the Senate approved a bill envisaging allocating $4 million in foreign military financing assistance and $600,000 in international military education and training assistance to Armenia.