Post by Jaga on Aug 12, 2007 8:43:32 GMT -7
Six NATO allies call new U.S. legislation to expand visa-free travel disappointing
WASHINGTON: Six NATO members that would like to be included in a program for visa-free travel to the United States said Thursday that a new U.S. law that loosened the criteria to get in did not go far enough.
A measure signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush last week added restrictions that would still keep most prospective countries from joining the program.
A statement by the six countries called the legislation a step forward but short of their expectations. The statement was signed by Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Those countries and some others have said they believe that, as close U.S. allies, they should be able to join the list that allows the citizens of 27 countries, including most western European countries, to visit the United States without visas.
"Some of America's closest allies will still be subject to artificial barriers that do not reflect their deep level of commitment and engagement in enhancing trans-Atlantic and global security," the statement said.
The statement appears to be an act of solidarity by the Czech Republic, which is expected to meet the criteria for the program. According to recent U.S. State Department figures, the five others would not meet requirement that they demonstrate that fewer than 10 percent of recent applicants for visas have been denied.
Hungary, which along with the six other countries has been represented by a Washington-based lobbyist to sway lawmakers on the visa waiver issue, did not sign the statement. Instead it delivered a letter to the U.S. embassy in Budapest calling the legislation an encouraging step.
In many of the new European Union countries whose citizens still require visas, inclusion in the visa-waiver program has become a sensitive political issue and a subject of intense diplomatic discussion with the United States.
The six countries and Hungary said they would continue to press for a broader expansion of the program.
www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/09/america/NA-GEN-US-Visa-Waiver.php
WASHINGTON: Six NATO members that would like to be included in a program for visa-free travel to the United States said Thursday that a new U.S. law that loosened the criteria to get in did not go far enough.
A measure signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush last week added restrictions that would still keep most prospective countries from joining the program.
A statement by the six countries called the legislation a step forward but short of their expectations. The statement was signed by Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Those countries and some others have said they believe that, as close U.S. allies, they should be able to join the list that allows the citizens of 27 countries, including most western European countries, to visit the United States without visas.
"Some of America's closest allies will still be subject to artificial barriers that do not reflect their deep level of commitment and engagement in enhancing trans-Atlantic and global security," the statement said.
The statement appears to be an act of solidarity by the Czech Republic, which is expected to meet the criteria for the program. According to recent U.S. State Department figures, the five others would not meet requirement that they demonstrate that fewer than 10 percent of recent applicants for visas have been denied.
Hungary, which along with the six other countries has been represented by a Washington-based lobbyist to sway lawmakers on the visa waiver issue, did not sign the statement. Instead it delivered a letter to the U.S. embassy in Budapest calling the legislation an encouraging step.
In many of the new European Union countries whose citizens still require visas, inclusion in the visa-waiver program has become a sensitive political issue and a subject of intense diplomatic discussion with the United States.
The six countries and Hungary said they would continue to press for a broader expansion of the program.
www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/09/america/NA-GEN-US-Visa-Waiver.php
