Bush Waives Trade Curbs With Soviets

President Bush announced today that he is granting the Soviet Union temporary trade privileges, loan credits and humanitarian aid to help get the Soviets through the winter.

Bush made the announcement after meeting with Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze this afternoon. In advance of that meeting, the Administration notified congressional committees that it intended to waive longstanding trade restrictions against the Soviet Union until June, 1991.

Speaking to reporters after his talks with Shevardnadze, Bush also said he hopes to sign a treaty cutting long-range nuclear weapons during a Moscow summit with Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev on Feb. 11-13.

He said U.S. and Soviet negotiators had made progress toward agreement on the pact.

Shevardnadze hailed Bush’s comments as a “very important statement” and said he looked forward to seeing Bush and Gorbachev sign the arms control treaty, which has been years in negotiations.

On the trade issue, the Administration has said it wants to reward Moscow for its support in the Middle East as well as help the Soviets with food problems in major cities.

Economic benefits in the package will allow the Soviets to buy U.S. farm products and ease food shortages, Administration and congressional officials said.

The centerpiece of the package is the waiver of the 1974 Jackson-Vanik trade amendments, imposed to penalize the Soviet Union for its once-restrictive emigration policies.

The waiver would be until next June, but it could be extended if Congress did not object.

The Administration in the past had opposed waiving the restrictions until the Soviet Union enacted a liberalized emigration law.