The statement says on Friday August 1, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a vote of 15-2 [Helms (R-NC) and Pressler (R-SD) dissented] approved a bill providing for limited sanctions against apartheid in South Africa; S.2701 was offered by Senator Richard Lugar (R-ID) and was strengthened in committee by a key amendment by Senators Mathias (R-MD) and Evans (R-WA); attempts by Senator Cranston (D-CA) during the first day of mark up (August 1) to substantially strengthen S.2701 were defeated; Cranston first proposed S.2570 as a substitute which was defeated 9-7; he later offered a package of stronger but less sweeping sanctions which failed 10-7; a Cranston amendment to ban textile imports...
The statement says on Friday August 1, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a vote of 15-2 [Helms (R-NC) and Pressler (R-SD) dissented] approved a bill providing for limited sanctions against apartheid in South Africa; S.2701 was offered by Senator Richard Lugar (R-ID) and was strengthened in committee by a key amendment by Senators Mathias (R-MD) and Evans (R-WA); attempts by Senator Cranston (D-CA) during the first day of mark up (August 1) to substantially strengthen S.2701 were defeated; Cranston first proposed S.2570 as a substitute which was defeated 9-7; he later offered a package of stronger but less sweeping sanctions which failed 10-7; a Cranston amendment to ban textile imports from South Africa was defeated on a 8-8 tie vote. The statement says as approved, the bill's key provisions would codify the limited sanctions contained in the President's Executive Order issued September 9, 1985, ban loans to the private sector, ban on new investment, ban the importation of uranium and coal, ban imports from parastatals that are producers, prohibit landing rights for South African airlines, deny visas to government officials, prohibit U.S. banks from holding deposits from South African government or its agencies, terminate the sanctions if South Africa fails to meet certain conditions, impose future sanctions if significant progress in dismantling apartheid is not made. The statement says the Washington Office on Africa (WOA) reiterates its support for the comprehensive sanctions provisions of S.2570; however we will be working for passage of the strongest possible sanctions bill in the Senate short of S.2570; consequently we are circulating a number of strengthening amendments in order to secure passage of effective sanctions. The statement discusses loopholes, foreign debt, short-term loans, reinvestment of profits, steel, uranium, cement, Nelson Mandela, political prisoners, diamond and steel imports, military assistance, the arms embargo, importation of strategic minerals, trade credits, financing, Senator Alan Cranston, Jesse Helms, Senator Larry Pressler, and Senator Charles Mathias.
