Bush Waives Saudi Trafficking Sanctions
- From: "Chim" <ChimS1@xxxxxxx>
- Date: 22 Sep 2005 04:57:44 -0700
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush decided Wednesday to waive any
financial sanctions on Saudi Arabia, Washington's closest Arab ally in
the war on terrorism, for failing to do enough to stop the modern-day
slave trade in prostitutes, child sex workers and forced laborers.
In June, the State Department listed 14 countries as failing to
adequately address trafficking problems, subjecting them all to
possible sanctions if they did not crack down.
Of those 14, Bush concluded that Bolivia, Jamaica, Qatar, Sudan, Togo
and the United Arab Emirates had made enough improvements to avoid any
cut in U.S. aid or, in the case of countries that get no American
financial assistance, the barring of their officials from cultural and
educational events, said Darla Jordan, a State Department spokeswoman.
Cambodia and Venezuela were not considered to have made similar
adequate improvements. But Bush cleared them nonetheless to receive
limited assistance, for such things as combatting trafficking. In the
case of Venezuela - which has had a tense relationship with the United
States under the leadership of President Hugo Chavez, one of Latin
America's most outspoken critics of U.S. foreign policy - Bush also
allowed funding for strengthening the political party system and
supporting electoral observation.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, Ecuador and Kuwait - another U.S. ally in
the Middle East - were given a complete pass on any sanctions, Jordan
said. Despite periodic differences, oil-rich Saudi Arabia and the
United States have a tight alliance built on economic and military
cooperation.
That left Myanmar, Cuba and North Korea as the only nations in the list
of 14 barred completely from receiving certain kinds of foreign aid.
The act does not include cutting off trade assistance or humanitarian
aid, Jordan said.
The White House statement offered no explanation of why countries were
regarded differently. Jordan also could not provide one.
As many as 800,000 people are bought and sold across national borders
annually or lured to other countries with false promises of work or
other benefits, according to the State Department. Most are women and
children.
09/21/05 21:40 EDT
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. The information contained in the
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