Washington, DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) and USA*Engage released the following statement on the interim agreement negotiated between the P5+1 and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“USA*Engage and the NFTC support the interim agreement negotiated between the P5+1 and the Islamic Republic of Iran in Geneva. As the text makes clear, it is essentially an agreement to negotiate under the discipline that nothing is decided until everything is decided. As the interim agreement also specifies, the veritable financial blockade of Iran’s economy remains structurally intact,” said Bill Reinsch, President of the NFTC. “We urge Members of Congress to permit the Administration the means to pursue a comprehensive solution with Iran.”
“USA*Engage notes the targeted, contingent nature of sanctions relief contained in the interim agreement. In particular, we welcome the explicit commitment to establish a financial channel for fully lawful humanitarian trade in food, agricultural products, medicine and medical devices, as well as medical expenses incurred abroad. We trust the U.S. Treasury will implement this measure unambiguously and with dispatch. We note that all Congressionally legislated sanctions have included exceptions for such trade as settled U.S. policy,” said Richard Sawaya, Director of USA*Engage.
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About USA*Engage
USA*Engage (www.usaengage.org) is a coalition of small and large businesses, agriculture groups and trade associations working to seek alternatives to the proliferation of unilateral U.S. foreign policy sanctions and to promote the benefits of U.S. engagement abroad. Established in 1997 and organized under the National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org), USA*Engage leads a campaign to inform policymakers, opinion leaders, and the public about the counterproductive nature of unilateral sanctions, the importance of exports and overseas investment for American competitiveness and jobs, and the role of American companies in promoting human rights and democracy world wide.
About the NFTC
Advancing Global Commerce for A Century- The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules- based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York.
