I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4436 

To direct the Secretary of State to submit to Congress an annual report 

on exports of weapons and related services by the Government of Belarus 

and Belarusian enterprises and related matters. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 13, 2010 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. GALLEGLY, Mr. SMITH

of New Jersey, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. MACK, Mr. INGLIS, Mr. 

WOLF, Mr. LINDER, and Mr. LAMBORN) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of State to submit to Congress an 

annual report on exports of weapons and related services 

by the Government of Belarus and Belarusian enterprises 

and related matters. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Belarus Arms Trans5 fers Accountability Act of 2009’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The Congressional Research Service has es2 timated that Belarus exported arms officially valued 

3 at $1,000,000,000 between 1999 and 2006, making 

4 it the eleventh largest exporter of arms in the world. 

5 (2) According to some reports the actual value 

6 of arms exports by Belarus may exceed such totals, 

7 since public agreements for arms sales by Belarus 

8 may not include secret agreements made by officials 

9 of the Government of Belarus and its state-owned 

10 entities. In a report to Congress in March 2006, the 

11 Department of State reported that ‘‘. . . many arms 

12 sales [from Belarus] are made without consideration 

13 by relevant security organs of the Belarusian govern14 ment’’. 

15 (3) In a report to Congress in March 2006, 

16 submitted in accordance with the Belarus Democ17 racy Act of 2004 (Public Law 108–347), the De18 partment of State reported the following: 

19 (A) ‘‘Belarus has continued to export sig20 nificant quantities of defense articles, dual-use 

21 items and other military equipment and tech22 nology.’’. 

23 (B) ‘‘There have been numerous reports of 

24 Belarusian sales or delivery of weapons or 


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1 weapons-related technologies to states of con2 cern, including state sponsors of terrorism.’’. 

3 (C) ‘‘There are signs that Belarusian au4 thorities are undertaking efforts to expand rela5 tions with some countries of concern.’’. 

6 (4) According to published reports, Belarus has 

7 been a significant supplier of rockets, mortars, anti8 tank weapons, and mines to Palestinian extremist 

9 groups and to state sponsors of terrorism, such as 

10 Iran and Syria, as well as Mi–24 helicopters, artil11 lery systems and Russian-origin armored combat ve12 hicles to the Government of Sudan, tanks to the 

13 communist regime in North Korea, and military air14 craft and aircraft engines to Iran. 

15 (5) In April and September 2004, the United 

16 States imposed sanctions on the Belarusian entity 

17 ‘‘Belvneshpromservice’’ pursuant to the Iran Non18 proliferation Act of 2000 (Public Law 106–178) 

19 based on its transfer to Iran of items having the po20 tential of making a material contribution to weapons 

21 of mass destruction or cruise or ballistic missile sys22 tems. 

23 (6) In May 2005, the Belarusian parliament 

24 ratified a security agreement with Iran, after an ear25 lier visit to Belarus by the then-leader of Iran, MoVerDate Nov 24 2008 02:27 Jan 14, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4436.IH H4436

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1 hammed Khatami, during whose visit Belarusian re2 gime leader Aleksandr Lukashenko stated that 

3 Belarus was ready to cooperate with Iran ‘‘in all di4 rections’’. 

5 (7) Speaking with regard to arms sales to 

6 Syria, Aleksandr Lukashenko reportedly stated ‘‘No 

7 matter how severely we are admonished for it, we 

8 will continue to help Syria militarily because they 

9 have promised to help us in the same way.’’. 

10 (8) Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez maintains 

11 strong relationships with Iran, Cuba, Sudan, and 

12 Syria, all states designated by the United States as 

13 state sponsors of terrorism. 

14 (9) In May 2006 and each year since, the De15 partment of State has determined that Venezuela is 

16 not cooperating fully with United States anti-ter17 rorism efforts. 

18 (10) In the summer of 2006, Venezuela’s am19 bassador to Cuba visited Belarus and described the 

20 United States as a ‘‘common enemy’’ and Hugo 

21 Chavez made an official visit to Belarus. 

22 (11) Subsequently, in September 2006, it was 

23 reported that Belarus and Venezuela announced that 

24 a proposed military contract between the two counVerDate Nov 24 2008 02:27 Jan 14, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4436.IH H4436

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1 tries in the amount of $1,000,000,000 was under 

2 consideration. 

3 (12) While Belarus possessed large stockpiles of 

4 weapons inherited from the former Soviet regime, 

5 questions have been raised as to whether such stock6 piles still remain the source of much of the weaponry 

7 exported by Belarus, eighteen years later, or have 

8 instead been largely exhausted through earlier sales. 

9 (13) The Government of the Russian Federa10 tion has offered no cooperation to the United States 

11 in dissuading Belarus from sales of its arms to state 

12 sponsors of terrorism and other parties in conflict, 

13 instead increasing its military cooperation with 

14 Belarus. 

15 (14) An editor of ‘‘Jane’s Air-Launched Weap16 ons’’, Mr. Robert Hewson, stated recently that a 

17 Russian sale of S–300 air defense missiles to Iran 

18 was to go through Belarus and that ‘‘Belarus is the 

19 proxy route whenever Russia wants to deny it is 

20 doing the sale. But nothing happens along that 

21 route without Moscow saying so.’’. 

22 (15) In May 2009, media reports stated that 

23 Russia is planning to sell its S–300 missile systems 

24 to Iran and Syria via Belarus. 


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1 (16) In June 2009, a high-level Israeli official 

2 strongly cautioned Belarus against strengthening 

3 ties with Iran. 

4 (17) In March 2008, Belarusian press reports 

5 stated that Belarusian military specialists would 

6 take part in the creation for Venezuela of an ad7 vanced air defense system with the potential to em8 ploy the Russian-made S–300 missile system. 

9 (18) The Russian-made S–300 is one of the 

10 most advanced air defense systems in the world, ca11 pable of destroying missiles and aircraft at ranges of 

12 about 90 miles and at altitudes of approximately 

13 90,000 feet. 

14 (19) Reports indicate that Belarus had already 

15 purchased multiple S–300 systems from Russia at a 

16 fraction of their estimated value. 

17 (20) In March 2008, a member of Venezuela’s 

18 National Assembly, Mr. Abel El Zabayar, visited 

19 Iran and stated that Venezuela had begun discus20 sions with Belarus and Iran on nuclear cooperation. 

21 (21) The planned deployment by Venezuela of 

22 an advanced air defense system, such as the S–300 

23 missile system, in conjunction with Venezuela’s re24 ported growing nuclear cooperation with Belarus 

25 and Iran raises disturbing similarities to the pattern 


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1 of reported sales arrangements of the S–300 missile 

2 system by Russia to Iran at a time of Russian co3 operation in the development of Iran’s nuclear capa4 bilities. 

5 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

6 It is the sense of Congress that— 

7 (1) the Secretary of State should take into con8 sideration the continuing reports of arms sales by 

9 Belarus to state sponsors of terrorism and states 

10 that do not fully cooperate with the United States 

11 in its anti-terrorism efforts, as well as any informa12 tion gathered in the process of drafting the report 

13 to the appropriate congressional committees required 

14 under this Act, and carefully consider whether the 

15 imposition of existing terrorism and nonproliferation 

16 sanctions would be appropriate to deter any such 

17 arms sales by Belarus; and 

18 (2) any use by Iran of nuclear cooperation 

19 agreements with other countries as a means to pro20 liferate weapons technology and expertise to coun21 tries such as Venezuela, either directly or by means 

22 of arrangements with Belarus or other countries 

23 would not be in the interest of the United States. 


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1 SEC. 4. REPORT. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 

3 date of the enactment of this Act, and on annual basis 

4 thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the ap5 propriate congressional committees a report that de6 scribes, with respect to the preceding 12-month period, the 

7 following: 

8 (1) The scale and modalities of exports of weap9 ons and related services by the Government of 

10 Belarus and Belarusian enterprises, including reve11 nues flows, and the potential role of the government 

12 and enterprise of the Russian Federation in such ex13 ports and revenues. 

14 (2) The status of the stockpiles of weapons in15 herited by Belarus from the former Soviet regime, 

16 including a determination as to the role such stock17 piles may continue to play in the export of weapons 

18 by Belarus, and an assessment of the capability of 

19 Belarusian enterprises to manufacture conventional 

20 and advanced weaponry and provide services for 

21 such sales. 

22 (3) A determination as to whether nuclear co23 operation agreements and activities involving Iran, 

24 Belarus, or Venezuela are being used as a means to 

25 proliferate nuclear arms technology and expertise. 


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1 (4) The sale or delivery of weapons or weapons2 related technologies from Belarus to any country 

3 that is designated as a state sponsor of terrorism or 

4 not fully cooperating with United States 

5 antiterrorism efforts for purposes of section 40A of 

6 the Arms Export Control Act, including Venezuela. 

7 (b) FORM.—The report shall be in an unclassified 

8 form but may include a classified annex. 

9 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this Act: 

11 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT12 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com13 mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

14 the House of Representatives and Committee on 

15 Foreign Relations of the Senate. 

16 (2) STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM.—The term 

17 ‘‘state sponsor of terrorism’’ means a country the 

18 government of which the Secretary of State has de19 termined, for purposes of section 6(j) of the Export 

20 Administration Act of 1979, section 620A of the 

21 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, section 40 of the 

22 Arms Export Control Act, or any other provision of 

23 law, to be a government that has repeatedly provided 

24 support for acts of international terrorism. 

Æ 


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