Soviets Appear Ready to Vote on Long-promised Emigration Bill

Soviet Jewry advocates are watching with cautious interest as the Soviet legislature finally moves to adopt a bill that would codify long-promised reforms in emigration policy.

A debate on the bill, which has been on the drawing board for at least two years, began Tuesday in the Supreme Soviet, the nation’s parliament, and a vote is expected Sunday.

Mark Levin, associate executive director of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, said he hopes that if the law is adopted it will “lead to truly free emigration.”

But he said the National Conference has always been more interested in actual emigration practices than in emigration laws. He pointed out that the flow of emigration from the Soviet Union is continuing.

The Union of Councils for Soviet Jews expressed concern with the draft now being considered by the Supreme Soviet, saying it is worse than previous drafts and would not bring “the USSR in line with international standards of freedom of movement.”

For this reason, the Union of Councils said adoption of the law should not be used by President Bush to waive sanctions contained in the Jackson-Vanik Amendment to the Trade Act of 1974, which links U.S. trade benefits, such as credits and lower tariffs, with emigration reform.

At the very least, the Union of Councils argued, a Jackson-Vanik waiver should not be considered until the emigration law goes into effect in July 1992.

Bush has made clear to the Soviets that he will not consider a Jackson-Vanik waiver until the law is adopted. He also has said he will not send to Congress the trade treaty that he and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev signed at their Washington summit last spring, until the law is adopted.

‘CATCH-22’ ON STATE SECRETS

However, the president granted a partial waiver of Jackson-Vanik sanctions last December, allowing the Soviets to get $1 billion in credits to buy agricultural goods to prevent mass starvation during the winter.

The Supreme Soviet actually adopted a draft of the bill on its first reading in November 1989, but conservatives blocked any further action despite Gorbachev’s repeated promises to Bush that it would pass.

The Soviet legislature is acting at a time when the country is in desperate need of Western credits and other economic assistance. The Soviets are now seeking an additional $1 billion in agricultural credits.

Former Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze warned during his visit to Washington this week that unless Moscow obtains the aid, the country will disintegrate.

Bush indicated at a news conference Wednesday that he wants to help Gorbachev deal with the Soviet Union’s “difficult economic times.”

Gorbachev’s accomplishments “are enormous,” Bush said, citing the Soviet leader’s willingness to let Eastern Europe break from Communist control.

“I don’t want to see a breach in a relationship that is very strong, that’s served us extraordinarily well in recent times during the (Persian Gulf) war itself, where for the first time, the Soviet Union and the United States worked in sync in these matters,” Bush said.

In criticizing the emigration bill now before the Supreme Soviet, the Union of Councils pointed out that it still denies the right of traveling abroad or emigrating to anyone who possesses “state secrets,” while not specifying what state secrets are.

Another problem, the group said, is that persons must fulfill their military obligations before emigrating. This results in a “Catch-22” situation, because many people are denied emigration visas once they have served in the military because of alleged access to state secrets.

Furthermore, the law would still require adults who want to emigrate to submit affidavits from their parents renouncing any financial obligations, the Union of Councils said. While a rejection can be appealed, the law does not list the procedures for appeal.