2 July 1998
Source: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aaces002.html

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[DOCID: f:h4095ih.txt]

105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4095

      To provide that the President shall attempt to establish an
international arms sales code of conduct with all Wassenaar Arrangement
                               countries.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 19, 1998

 Mr. Gejdenson (for himself, Mr. Gilman, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Berman, Mr.
 Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Rohrabacher, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. McDermott, Ms.
  Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Payne, Mr. Clement, Mr. Vento, Mrs. Morella, Mr.
Delahunt, Mr. Olver, Mr. Luther, Mr. Miller of California, Ms. Waters,
   Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Barrett of
   Wisconsin, Mr. Minge, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Ackerman, Ms. Rivers, Mr.
Gutierrez, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Kennedy of Rhode
Island, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Velazquez, Mr.
 Towns, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Rothman, Ms. Hooley of Oregon, and
    Mr. Moran of Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was
          referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


      To provide that the President shall attempt to establish an
international arms sales code of conduct with all Wassenaar Arrangement
                               countries.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``International Arms Sales Code of
Conduct Act of 1998''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The proliferation of conventional arms and conflicts
        around the globe are multilateral problems. The only way to
        effectively prevent rogue nations from acquiring conventional
        weapons is through a multinational ``arms sales code of
        conduct''.
            (2) Approximately 40,000,000 people, over 75 percent of
        whom were civilians, died as a result of civil and
        international wars fought with conventional weapons during the
        45 years of the cold war, demonstrating that conventional
        weapons can in fact be weapons of mass destruction.
            (3) Conflict has actually increased in the post cold war
        era.
            (4) It is in the national security and economic interests
        of the United States to reduce dramatically the
        $840,000,000,000 that all countries spend on armed forces every
        year, $191,000,000,000 of which is spent by developing
        countries, an amount equivalent to 4 times the total bilateral
        and multilateral foreign assistance such countries receive
        every year.
            (5) The Congress has the constitutional responsibility to
        participate with the executive branch in decisions to provide
        military assistance and arms transfers to a foreign government,
        and in the formulation of a policy designed to reduce
        dramatically the level of international militarization.
            (6) A decision to provide military assistance and arms
        transfers to a government that is undemocratic, does not
        adequately protect human rights, or is currently engaged in
        acts of armed aggression should require a higher level of
        scrutiny than does a decision to provide such assistance and
        arms transfers to a government to which these conditions do not
        apply.

SEC. 3. INTERNATIONAL ARMS SALES CODE OF CONDUCT.

    (a) Negotiations.--The President shall attempt to achieve the
foreign policy goal of an international arms sales code of conduct with
all Wassenaar Arrangement countries. The President shall take the
necessary steps to begin negotiations with all Wassenaar Arrangement
countries within 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
The purpose of these negotiations shall be to conclude an agreement on
restricting or prohibiting arms transfers to countries that--
            (1) do not respect democratic processes and the rule of
        law;
            (2) do not adhere to internationally recognized norms on
        human rights; or
            (3) are engaged in acts of armed aggression.
    (b) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 6 months after the
commencement of the negotiations under subsection (a), and not later
than the end of every 6-month period thereafter until an agreement
described in subsection (a) is concluded, the President shall report to
the appropriate committees of the Congress on the progress made during
these negotiations.
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