US should scrap Cold War trade law - congressman

MOSCOW, Feb 22 (Reuters) A senior U S lawmaker, striking a conciliatory note on a visit to Russia, called for Washington to scrap a Cold War law linking trade relations with Moscow to human rights and emigration concerns.

''I believe the time is ripe to move ahead and put behind us this relic of the Cold War,'' Congressman Tom Lantos, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told a news conference yesterday. He gave no timeline.

The law, known as the Jackson-Vanik amendment, links normal U S trade relations with communist and former communist countries to their citizens' rights to emigrate freely.

Many US leaders, including President George W Bush, have failed to keep promises to scrap Jackson-Vanik, blaming strong bi-partisan opposition in Congress. The law's continued presence has irked Moscow.

Lantos was visiting Russia amid a souring of relations between Moscow and Washington over issues such as Moscow's opposition to NATO's expansion closer to its borders and U S plans to deploy a missile defence system in Central Europe.

President Vladimir Putin blasted the United States in a keynote speech at a conference in Munich earlier this month, accusing it of fuelling a new arms race by attempting to impose its will unilaterally on the world.

''I read that speech carefully twice and I believe that Mr Putin felt he had to get these things off his chest,'' Lantos said.

Preferring to emphasise cooperation, Lantos did not comment on his previous anti-Russian efforts in Congress, including calls for Russia's expulsion from the Group of Eight leading industrial nations.

''The United States and Russia have far too many common interests and long term goals as important countries of the civilised world that we both need to understand the need to collaborate on a tremendous range of issues,'' he said.

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