Frank R. Lautenberg
New Jersey
Senate Office Bureau

May 26, 1998

The Honorable Madeleine Albright
Secretary of State
Depertment of State, Room 7226
Washington, D.C. 20520

Dear Secretary Albright:

We were dismayed by the Administration's decision to waive sanctions under the US Iran and Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA) against companies investing in the Iranian petroleum industry and are writing to urge you to state unequivocally that the State Department will not waive ILSA sanctions for petroleum investments in Libya.

As you know, many European companies are contemplating making petroleum investments in Libya. We rae concerned that the Administration's decision to waive sanctions with regard to Iran sends a signal that the US will not impose sanctions on companies that invest in Libya's energy sector. The State Depertment spokesman's statement that the Depertment has "...made no decision with respect to petroleum investments in Libya " virtually encourages them to invest in Libya. We believe the State Depertment needs to make an unequivocally statement to ensure that its decision regarding Iran will not be perceived as a green light for companies to invest in the Libyan energy sector.

The US government has issued an indictment against two Libyan agents for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 in which 189 innocent Americans were ruthlessy murdered. Based on this heinous terrorist act, the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on Libya. These sanctions are already under great stress, and waiving ILSA sanctions against Libya would signal a weakening of US resolve in keeping economic pressure on the Libyan regime to extradite the two Libyan agents for trial. The US has been the strongest supporter of these sanctions at the United Nations. If there is any question about whether the Administration will waive ILSA sanctions on Libyan petroleum investments, there is no doubt that it will undermine our effectiveness in preserving international sanctions against Libya at the United Nations.

We look forward to hearing from you about this important matter.

Sincerly,

(signed)
Alfonse D'Amato                      Olympia J. Snowe
Frank R. Lautenberg                 John F. Kerry
Sam Brownback                       Joseph I. Lieberman
Edward M. Kennedy                Herb Kohl
Jesse Helms                              Trent Lott
Barbara A. Mikulsky                Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Robert G. Torricelli                  John Ashcroft
Gordon Smith                          Dianne Feinstein
Orrin G. Hatch                        Charles E. Grassley