 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
. |
Washington (AFP) Aug 30, 2010 President Barack Obama will on Tuesday move to reform US export rules, hoping to boost trade while hampering the sale of sensitive technology. Capping a year-long review of weapons controls, Obama will tell a Washington non-proliferation conference that previous rules were fractured, making it difficult for some legitimate firms to do business. "These reforms will focus our resources on the threats that matter most," Obama said in recorded video remarks. "They'll help us not just increase exports and create jobs, but strengthen our national security as well." The reforms will include more specific definitions of goods that need export licenses and restructuring how requests are dealt with. The move is expected to result in around 32 percent of items on the munitions list being "decontrolled." The new rules will build "higher walls around the export of our most sensitive items while allowing the export of less critical ones under less restrictive conditions," Obama said. Struggling against a dogged economic downturn, Obama has vowed to double US exports in the next five years. But the latest part of that drive has spurred some concerns that rules will be watered down to help trade. "I'm concerned," said Jeff Abramson, deputy director of the Arms Control Association. "There are a number of good things that have been needed for a while... but I'm afraid this approach could mean more things going to people without us having a sense of where they have gone." He also expressed fears that the reforms could hurt efforts to hammer out new global norms for the arms trade. "To weaken our system now hurts the prospects for a good treaty, which is in our national interest," he said.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
hello world
US, others urged to ratify nuclear test ban treatyVienna (AFP) Aug 27, 2010 A UN-backed monitoring group urged the United States and eight other countries on Friday to ratify a worldwide ban on atomic test blasts ahead of the International Day against Nuclear Tests this weekend. "Now is the time for the nine states whose ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) will bring it into force to show the political will and fully endorse it," said th ... read more |
. |
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
