Anti-Foreign Boycott Bill Statement on an Agreement Between Certain Jewish Organizations and the Business Roundtable.

I am pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached by the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, and the American Jewish Congress with the Business Roundtable on legislative language for the antiforeign boycott bill presently 'being considered by the Senate, and that I can strongly recommend congressional approval of that language.

I would like to commend these organizations and their leaders for the skill and cooperation shown in the negotiations leading to today's agreement, which embodies concepts previously outlined in a joint statement of principles agreed to by the Anti-Defamation League and the Business Roundtable.

I would also like to commend the many members of Congress who have devoted so much time and effort toward achieving strong antiboycott legislation--Senators Proxmire and Stevenson and Congressmen Zablocki, Rosenthal, Hamilton, Bingham, Solarz, and Whalen. Without their efforts, I doubt that the Congress would have ever come close to passage of anti-foreign boycott legislation.

In my view, one of the most gratifying aspects of the agreement is its reasonable balance between the need for stringent controls over the undesirable impact on Americans of foreign boycotts and the need to allow continuation of American business relations with countries engaging in such boycotts.

The agreement supports legislative language which would impose the following restrictions:

• Prohibit all forms of religious or ethnic discrimination arising out .of a foreign boycott;

• Prohibit U.S. firms from refusing to do business with a boycotted country as a condition of doing business in another country;

• Prohibit U.S. firms from acting as enforcers of a foreign boycott;

• Prohibit U.S. firms from responding to requests for boycott-related information;

• Prohibit the use of so-called negative certificates of origin within a year of enactment.

At the same time, the agreement supports limited exceptions which recognize that other countries, like the United States, may seek to impose their own laws within their own countries.

I urge the Senate, and the Congress, to adopt these agreed upon amendments to the anti-foreign boycott legislation. With adoption of the amendments, I believe passage of this legislation can occur very soon, and I look forward to signing the legislation.