The United States-Rumanian trade agreement was passed Friday in the Senate by a vote of 88-2. Sen. Henry M. Jackson (D. Wash), speaking in favor of passage, said regarding the freedom of emigration aspects of the legislation: “I endorse the position of Congress that action on Rumania is not to be interpreted as a precedent for countries other than Rumania. It is the recent sharp increase in Rumanian emigration and Rumania’s special circumstances in the Communist bloc which justify our willingness to extend the benefit of the doubt in this case.”
He added that it should also be noted “a relaxation of Rumanian emigration restrictions would be consistent with the more liberal emigration policy practiced by Rumania up through the mid-1960s as well as with the provisions on emigration in the International Convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, acceded to by Rumania in 1970. Freer emigration is also in keeping with the family reunification provisions of the conference on European security and cooperation declaration, which Rumania is expected to sign later this month.”
Jackson also said that “Rumania’s earlier emigration practices and the cooperative attitude which the Rumanian government is apparently ready to renew provide a welcome contrast to the Soviet Union’s dismissal of the human dimension of detente and hypocritical accession to the same international agreements.”
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