Obama has the right to cancel Jackson-Vanik amendment

The U.S. Department of Justice has not ruled out a possibility of repealling the Cold War era Jackson-Vanik amendment that imposes restrictions on Russian-U.S. trade without approval from Congress, an initiator of a lawsuit against the amendment has said. In their suit, businessmen Edward Lozansky and Anthony Salvia asked a Washington court to order U.S. President Barack Obama to use his constitutional right to repeal the amendment, which prevents the U.S. from granting Russia "most favored nation" trading status that would offer reduced import tariffs and provide state loans and guarantees. Lozansky told RIA Novosti that after studying carefully a statement issued on August 8 by Department of Justice lawyers representing Obama, his lawyers established that their colleagues have not ruled out a possibility of Obama repealling the amendment without Congressional approval. Obama's lawyers only said that some countries, including Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, were deleted from the Jackson-Vanik "blacklist" "after" a vote in Congress, Lozansky said, adding that in line with U.S. laws, such a vote was not necessary. The Russian authorities have repeatedly said that the Cold War-era amendment was an "anachronism" hindering Russia's World Trade Organization accession bid. Former U.S. Representative Charles Vanik along with his fellow anti-communist politician Sen. Henry Jackson sponsored the Jackson-Vanik amendment denying normal U.S. trade relations to countries with non-market economies that restrict their citizens' right to emigrate. The U.S. government has only once tried to cancel the amendment, in 2002, when President George Bush asked Congress to do so. However, Russia banned U.S. poultry imports soon afterwards, prompting an end to discussion of the issue.