At that time. the President did not express reservations about the Soviet Unions creditworthiness or the low probability that these loans would actually be repaid. In fact. this transaction was made possible by the Presidents decision to waive the JacksonVanik amendment which statutorily linked preferential trade status to respect for human rights. But Moscow had not yet even enacted legislation guaranteeing what Scoop Jackson called the touchstone of all such rights: the right of free emigration. It is still unclear whether the Soviet Government will permit genuinely free emigration. Although an oftpostponed vote on such legislation is currently scheduled for May 7. today. Soviet central authorities continue to signal great reluctance to grant their citizens the opportunity to vote with their feet as their East German counterparts did in 1989. with catastrophic results for Moscows friend Eric Honecker.
Keywords matched
emigration