The US Senate has voted in favor of the Syria Accountability Act and endorsed an amendment to the policy that would give President Bush greater authority to waive sanctions for national security reasons.
The Act’s revision was passed by an 89-4 vote on Tuesday, November 11, 2003 and will go back to the House for endorsement before getting the final stamp of approval from Bush, reported AP.
The US House of Representatives approved the sanctions act against Syria by a vote of 33-2 last month. This version allowed the president to waive all sanctions but the ban on the export of goods that have military as well as commercial uses.
The House-passed act calls for the president to bar US exports, including dual-use items, to Syria and choose two sanctions from a list that includes freezing Syrian government assets in the United States; banning Syrian aircraft from US air space and reducing diplomatic contacts with Damascus.
If the newest amendment is passed, the Bush administration will have the power to waive the export embargo and the two additional sanctions in the interest of national security.
The act also keeps Syria on the US Department of State's list of nations that sponsor terrorism, demands that Syria withdraw its troops from Lebanon, and holds Syria responsible for terrorism against US military forces in Iraq. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
