January 4, 2002	Friday	Shawwal 19, 1422

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WASHINGTON, Dec 3: The United States has decided to raise the level above which the American exporters are required to notify the Commerce Department of proposed exports of dual-use computers to Tier 3 countries, which include Pakistan and India, to 190,000 millions of theoretical operations per second (MTOPS) from the existing 85,000 MTOPS.

The relaxation is largely meant to benefit US exports in the current highly competitive international market, but it will increase Pakistan’s access to high-performance computers manufactured in the United States and lessen dependence on clones.

The new step marks a gradual process of easing restrictions on dual-use computers that began under the Clinton administration. The measure requires a 60-day Congressional notification period before it can become effective.

All Middle Eastern countries, the former Soviet Union, China, Vietnam and parts of South Eastern Europe are also part of Tier 3.

Announcing the upgrade, the White House said in a press release on Wednesday that the administration would also raise the individual licensing level for Tier 3 to 190,000 MTOPS.

It has been decided to move Latvia from Tier 3 to Tier 1. Tier 1 countries are Western Europe, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Brazil, South and Central America, South Korea, most of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Slovenia and most of Africa.

The United States will continue to maintain a virtual embargo on computer hardware and technology exports to Iraq, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Cuba, Sudan and Syria.

For all countries, US re-export and retransfer requirements, and provisions of the Enhanced Proliferation Control Initiative (EPCI) will continue to apply. The EPCI provides authority for the government to block exports of computers (or any other item) in cases where there is an unacceptable risk of diversion to proliferation activities (e.g., foreign nuclear weapons design laboratories). Criminal and civil penalties apply to EPCI violators.

The administration will raise the licence exception level for exports of general purpose microprocessors from 6,500 MTOPS to 12,000 MTOPS.

The White House said the actions announced on Wednesday advance President Bush’s goal of reforming the US export control system so that it avoids ineffective controls, and focuses on truly sensitive goods and technologies.