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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Belarus Arms Trans-
fers Accountability Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The Congressional Research Service has es-
timated that Belarus exported arms officially valued 
at $1,000,000,000 between 1999 and 2006, making 
it the eleventh largest exporter of arms in the world. 
(2) According to some reports the actual value 
of arms exports by Belarus may exceed such totals, 
since public agreements for arms sales by Belarus 
may not include secret agreements made by officials 
of the Government of Belarus and its state-owned 
entities. In a report to Congress in March 2006, the 
Department of State reported that ‘‘. . . many arms 
sales [from Belarus] are made without consideration 
by relevant security organs of the Belarusian govern-
ment’’. 
(3) In a report to Congress in March 2006, 
submitted in accordance with the Belarus Democ-
racy Act of 2004 (Public Law 108–347), the De-
partment of State reported the following: 
(A) ‘‘Belarus has continued to export sig-
nificant quantities of defense articles, dual-use 
items and other military equipment and tech-
nology.’’. 
(B) ‘‘There have been numerous reports of 
Belarusian sales or delivery of weapons or 
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weapons-related technologies to states of con-
cern, including state sponsors of terrorism.’’. 
(C) ‘‘There are signs that Belarusian au-
thorities are undertaking efforts to expand rela-
tions with some countries of concern.’’. 
(4) According to published reports, Belarus has 
been a significant supplier of rockets, mortars, anti-
tank weapons, and mines to Palestinian extremist 
groups and to state sponsors of terrorism, such as 
Iran and Syria, as well as Mi–24 helicopters, artil-
lery systems and Russian-origin armored combat ve-
hicles to the Government of Sudan, tanks to the 
communist regime in North Korea, and military air-
craft and aircraft engines to Iran. 
(5) In April and September 2004, the United 
States imposed sanctions on the Belarusian entity 
‘‘Belvneshpromservice’’ pursuant to the Iran Non-
proliferation Act of 2000 (Public Law 106–178) 
based on its transfer to Iran of items having the po-
tential of making a material contribution to weapons 
of mass destruction or cruise or ballistic missile sys-
tems. 
(6) In May 2005, the Belarusian parliament 
ratified a security agreement with Iran, after an ear-
lier visit to Belarus by the then-leader of Iran, Mo-
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hammed Khatami, during whose visit Belarusian re-
gime leader Aleksandr Lukashenko stated that 
Belarus was ready to cooperate with Iran ‘‘in all di-
rections’’. 
(7) Speaking with regard to arms sales to 
Syria, Aleksandr Lukashenko reportedly stated ‘‘No 
matter how severely we are admonished for it, we 
will continue to help Syria militarily because they 
have promised to help us in the same way.’’. 
(8) Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez maintains 
strong relationships with Iran, Cuba, Sudan, and 
Syria, all states designated by the United States as 
state sponsors of terrorism. 
(9) In May 2006 and each year since, the De-
partment of State has determined that Venezuela is 
not cooperating fully with United States anti-ter-
rorism efforts. 
(10) In the summer of 2006, Venezuela’s am-
bassador to Cuba visited Belarus and described the 
United States as a ‘‘common enemy’’ and Hugo 
Chavez made an official visit to Belarus. 
(11) Subsequently, in September 2006, it was 
reported that Belarus and Venezuela announced that 
a proposed military contract between the two coun-
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tries in the amount of $1,000,000,000 was under 
consideration. 
(12) While Belarus possessed large stockpiles of 
weapons inherited from the former Soviet regime, 
questions have been raised as to whether such stock-
piles still remain the source of much of the weaponry 
exported by Belarus, eighteen years later, or have 
instead been largely exhausted through earlier sales. 
(13) The Government of the Russian Federa-
tion has offered no cooperation to the United States 
in dissuading Belarus from sales of its arms to state 
sponsors of terrorism and other parties in conflict, 
instead increasing its military cooperation with 
Belarus. 
(14) An editor of ‘‘Jane’s Air-Launched Weap-
ons’’, Mr. Robert Hewson, stated recently that a 
Russian sale of S–300 air defense missiles to Iran 
was to go through Belarus and that ‘‘Belarus is the 
proxy route whenever Russia wants to deny it is 
doing the sale. But nothing happens along that 
route without Moscow saying so.’’. 
(15) In May 2009, media reports stated that 
Russia is planning to sell its S–300 missile systems 
to Iran and Syria via Belarus. 
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(16) In June 2009, a high-level Israeli official 
strongly cautioned Belarus against strengthening 
ties with Iran. 
(17) In March 2008, Belarusian press reports 
stated that Belarusian military specialists would 
take part in the creation for Venezuela of an ad-
vanced air defense system with the potential to em-
ploy the Russian-made S–300 missile system. 
(18) The Russian-made S–300 is one of the 
most advanced air defense systems in the world, ca-
pable of destroying missiles and aircraft at ranges of 
about 90 miles and at altitudes of approximately 
90,000 feet. 
(19) Reports indicate that Belarus had already 
purchased multiple S–300 systems from Russia at a 
fraction of their estimated value. 
(20) In March 2008, a member of Venezuela’s 
National Assembly, Mr. Abel El Zabayar, visited 
Iran and stated that Venezuela had begun discus-
sions with Belarus and Iran on nuclear cooperation. 
(21) The planned deployment by Venezuela of 
an advanced air defense system, such as the S–300 
missile system, in conjunction with Venezuela’s re-
ported growing nuclear cooperation with Belarus 
and Iran raises disturbing similarities to the pattern 
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of reported sales arrangements of the S–300 missile 
system by Russia to Iran at a time of Russian co-
operation in the development of Iran’s nuclear capa-
bilities. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the Secretary of State should take into con-
sideration the continuing reports of arms sales by 
Belarus to state sponsors of terrorism and states 
that do not fully cooperate with the United States 
in its anti-terrorism efforts, as well as any informa-
tion gathered in the process of drafting the report 
to the appropriate congressional committees required 
under this Act, and carefully consider whether the 
imposition of existing terrorism and nonproliferation 
sanctions would be appropriate to deter any such 
arms sales by Belarus; and 
(2) any use by Iran of nuclear cooperation 
agreements with other countries as a means to pro-
liferate weapons technology and expertise to coun-
tries such as Venezuela, either directly or by means 
of arrangements with Belarus or other countries 
would not be in the interest of the United States. 
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SEC. 4. REPORT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and on annual basis 
thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the ap-
propriate congressional committees a report that de-
scribes, with respect to the preceding 12-month period, the 
following: 
(1) The scale and modalities of exports of weap-
ons and related services by the Government of 
Belarus and Belarusian enterprises, including reve-
nues flows, and the potential role of the government 
and enterprise of the Russian Federation in such ex-
ports and revenues. 
(2) The status of the stockpiles of weapons in-
herited by Belarus from the former Soviet regime, 
including a determination as to the role such stock-
piles may continue to play in the export of weapons 
by Belarus, and an assessment of the capability of 
Belarusian enterprises to manufacture conventional 
and advanced weaponry and provide services for 
such sales. 
(3) A determination as to whether nuclear co-
operation agreements and activities involving Iran, 
Belarus, or Venezuela are being used as a means to 
proliferate nuclear arms technology and expertise. 
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