Senate Refuses to Ease Curbs on Romanian Trade
By a 53-44 vote, the Senate on Wednesday rejected a plan to ease provisions of a sweeping trade bill that would suspend Romania’s most-favored-nation status.
Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) urged no change in the provisions adopted last Friday, which would impose a six-month suspension to pressure the Communist nation to soften a pattern of human rights abuses.
He said that a newly released report from Amnesty International “details the deteriorating (situation) in Romania.”
“It will curl senators’ hair,” added Sen. William L. Armstrong (R-Colo.), another proponent of the suspension, which is similar to one contained in a House bill approved April 30.
Sen. John C. Danforth (R-Mo.) had prodded the Senate to soften the provisions. He offered an amendment that would have permitted President Reagan to continue most-favored-nation status, under which trade terms as good as with any other country are assured.
Under the plan, however, the President could do so only after sending a report to Congress that a suspension would make it more difficult to maintain human rights or tougher to enhance emigration from Romania.
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