ACCESSION NUMBER:218676
FILE ID:EC-506
DATE:03/06/92
TITLE:ALLIES EASE CURBS ON FIBER OPTICS TO EX-SOVIET STATES (03/06/92)
TEXT:*92030606.ECO
ALLIES EASE CURBS ON FIBER OPTICS TO EX-SOVIET STATES

(Bush administration drops opposition)  (240)
Washington -- The United States has agreed with its industrial country
partners to allow export of high-technology telecommunications equipment to
the newly independent republics of the former Soviet Union.

Included in the proposed relaxation of export controls are fiber-optics
telephone systems and digital microwave radio equipment, a State Department
official said.

Until now the United States has opposed such liberalization; U.S.
intelligence agencies have argued that allowing fiber optics exports would
interfere with their eavesdropping capability in the former Soviet
republics.

The decision came, State and Commerce departments officials said March 6,
the previous day in Paris during an informal meeting of representatives
from key countries of the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export
Controls (COCOM).

"A general framework was agreed upon to expand availability of
telecommunications systems to proscribed countries," the Commerce official
said, adding that the Bush administration is pleased with the results.

Many details, still to be worked out, are expected to be released during the
week of March 9.

All 17 COCOM countries -- Australia, Japan and the NATO countries except
1celand -- must approve the change, possibly at their next high-level
meeting, scheduled for June in Paris.

According to published news reports, the proposed rules would allow the
former Soviet republics to buy medium-speed, state-of-the-art
telecommunication systems for transmitting voices, data and possibly video
pictures between cities.

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