"We think ... a compelling, thoughtful case can be made to the American public and the American Congress" to approve permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Russia, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told Reuters in a recent interview.
The administration will be pushing for action in Congress "over the next several months, or at least hopefully before the end of summer," Kirk said.
Kirk downplayed speculation the vote was so tough it could be delayed until a "lame duck" congressional session after the November U.S. elections.
"But I imagine the debate over that will be as robust as it was with China and other countries," Kirk said.
Congress passed the so-called Jackson-Vanik amendment at the height of the Cold War in 1974 to pressure the former Soviet Union to allow Jews to emigrate freely.
The amendment threatened higher tariffs on exports from the USSR and other centrally controlled economies unless the countries received an annual waiver from the United States.
Now, with Moscow set to enter the World Trade Organization by July, Washington is under pressure to remove Russia from the Jackson-Vanik list, which is inconsistent with the "most favored nation" treatment that WTO members accord each other.
Congress took a similar vote in 2000 to pave the way for China to join the WTO. It required a major push by then President Bill Clinton to win approval.
The pending vote on Russia PNTR comes as support for Moscow in Congress is at a low ebb, congressional aides said.
Many lawmakers accuse Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of cracking down on political opposition and muzzling the free press. They also are frustrated over Russia's support for Iran and its current opposition to an Arab League plan calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside.
But if Congress fails to approve PNTR, Russia could deny U.S. companies the market-opening benefits of its WTO accession commitments, putting them a disadvantage to suppliers in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Senate Finance Committee Max Baucus, whose committee has jurisdiction over trade, is planning a trip to Moscow soon to help set the stage for a vote.
After he returns, he would hold hearing on U.S. trade relations with Russia and then begin to move legislation, a congressional aide said.
The U.S. business community has already started a lobbying campaign to make sure lawmakers understand what is at stake, said Christopher Wenk, senior director for international policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
"Russia is our top trade priority this year. We're going to be pushing very hard," Wenk said. (Reuters)
