Obama loosens sanctions on C-130s to China

[ErnstBlofeld]

Washington Times/Bill Gertz:

President Obama issued a waiver loosening Tiananmen arms sanctions for C-130 military transports for China a day after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to an imprisoned Chinese dissident who dedicated the prize this past weekend to the victims of the 1989 crackdown.

Chinese state-run news media on Monday hailed the White House waiver announcement as a sign Washington is moving to lift the 11-year-old arms embargo.

However, White House National Security Council spokesman Michael Hammer said the waiver issued on Saturday will not allow C-130s sales. "Under this announcement, we are not selling any aircraft to anyone," he stated in an e-mail.

Mr. Obama's letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announcing the waiver states that it is lifting a ban on "temporary munitions export licenses" for C-130s that currently is banned by the fiscal 1990 Foreign Relations Act. The law bars sales to China of "any defense item on the U.S. Munitions Control list" unless "the president makes a report" waiving the restriction.