950811

Brown optimistic

of adoption of

amendment easing

Pressler law

WASHINGTON: Senator Hank Brown Friday said he was optimistic of the adoption of his amendment easing Pressler sanctions on Pakistan because there is an overwhelming support for this.

"We have the vote to get it passed", Brown told a news conference here Friday morning. He said his two amendments relating to arms delivery and bilateral co-operation with Pakistan in economic fields, anti-terrorism and anti-narcotics would come up before the Senate after August break which began Friday and ends on September 5.

He said it was clear that the senators, who had tried to filibuster the motion during the Senate proceedings on August 4 did so because they did not have enough votes.

Brown regretted that a couple of senators made some negative remarks about Pakistan during the brief Senate debate while refusing to agree on a time-limit. "These remarks, in no way, reflected the views of Americans in general who have very warm feelings towards Pakistan", he added.

Answering a question, Senator Brown emphatically described as untrue the perception about what happened in the Senate on August 4 when he moved his amendment. He said it was in no way a failure of Pakistan's diplomacy.

"On the contrary the developments are moving in a positive direction", he said.

Asked if he would now be appending his amendment to the Foreign Operations Bill being considered next month, Brown said this was one of the many other options. He could use any legislative vehicle to carry forward the package.

The Republican Senator from Colorado who also heads the Senate Foreign Relations Sub-committee on Near East and South Asian emphasized the importance for the United States to improve relations with Pakistan. He said for normalizing ties with Pakistan, it was necessary to deal with unresolved issues (of sanctions).

Elaborating his proposal, he said it envisaged a package relating to clarifications on economic issues for bilateral cooperation. It has "overwhelming support", he observed adding that Pressler himself did not intend to press on these sanctions.

He said he would not say his entire package is non-controversial but added that the economic part is "fairly" non-controversial.

Senator Brown said South Asia was one of the most dynamic parts of the world and it was important for the United States to have good relations with both Pakistan and India. They have fast growing economies and their people are very capable. The U.S. interest in the area is very clear and it was important that it should do all it can to promote peace and stability between the two countries.

Asked what could be the guarantee that the equipment being released to Pakistan would not be used against India. Brown agreed with a journalist that the same could be true of acquisition of arms by any other country including India.

He said his package did not relate to any fresh arms sale to Pakistan. It covered only the ones which were contracted about a decade ago and whose delivery was embargoed when Pressler sanctions were invoked in 1990. On this package we have vote to get approval."-APP