Excerpt: A bill to punish Russian officials for alleged human rights abuses would badly damage U.S.-Russian ties and hurt U.S. exports, business groups said on Tuesday, two days before a key congressional panel will vote on the measure. … Bill Reinsch, president of the National Foreign Trade Council, whose members include major U.S. exporters such as Boeing, Microsoft and Caterpillar, told reporters on Tuesday the Magnitsky bill was “seriously flawed.”He argued it would make it even harder to get Russia’s cooperation on issues ranging from Iran’s nuclear ambitions to Syria’s bloody crackdown on dissent.U.S. companies also fear they will lose sales coming from Russia’s entry into the WTO because Moscow will retaliate by turning to other suppliers, Reinsch said.http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-rt-us-usa-russia-rightsbre8541am-20120605,0,1268076.story

Excerpt: A bill to punish Russian officials for alleged human rights abuses would badly damage U.S.-Russian ties and hurt U.S. exports, business groups said Tuesday, two days before a key congressional panel is expected to vote on the measure. … Bill Reinsch, president of the National Foreign Trade Council, whose members include major U.S. exporters such as Boeing, Microsoft and Caterpillar, told reporters Tuesday that the Magnitsky legislation was “seriously flawed.” He said the bill would make it even more difficult to get Russia’s cooperation on a range of issues, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions and Syria’s crackdown on dissent.http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-business-groups-warn-against-russia-sanctions-bill/2012/06/05/gJQArxvQHV_story.html

Excerpt: Florida would be banned from approving contracts of $1 million or more with companies doing business in Cuba or Syria under legislation signed by Republican Governor Rick Scott.… William Reinsch, president of the Washington-based National Foreign Trade Council, a business group in Washington, said the state can’t enforce the law, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.The court in 2000 ruled in favor of the NFTC when the group sued over a Massachusetts law blocking government deals with companies doing business in Burma. Reinsch declined to say whether the group, which opposes trade restrictions, would sue over the Florida law.Miami-Dade County Attorney Robert Cuevas cited the NFTC suit while advising county commissioners last month not to enforce the law. In his analysis, Cuevas wrote that the supremacy clause in the U.S. Constitution requires local governments to follow federal law when it conflicts with state law.http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-01/florida-blocks-contracts-with-cuban-linked-companies.html

Excerpt: Sanctions on the Iranian energy sector are affecting gasoline prices and a sanctions opponent said it’s unfair for U.S. leaders not to inform the public. The United States and European Union have placed sanctions on the Iranian energy sector and its central bank to pressure Tehran to abandon its nuclear research program. … Bill Reinsch, president of sanctions opponent National Foreign Trade Council, told the Monitor it’s unfair for political leaders not to relay that information the public. “It’s a legitimate argument to say the benefits of the aim of these sanctions, convincing Iran not to build nuclear weapons, outweigh the economic costs,” he said. “What is not acceptable is to pretend there are no costs, or to ignore them.”http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2012/04/06/Analysts-warn-of-cost-of-Iranian-sanctions/UPI-90801333711785