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Myanmar Praises U.S. Court Ruling 

Thursday, June 24, 1999; 11:56 a.m. EDT

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- The military government of Myanmar praised a U.S.
court Thursday for overturning a Massachusetts law that  sought to
discourage trade with the southeast Asian nation. 

In a statement faxed to news organizations in Bangkok, Myanmar's
government called the decision that found the law unconstitutional
``realistic and responsible.'' 

``Although sanctions imposed on Myanmar do not have much effect on the
country, it is still sad to see reputable U.S. business companies losing
out to other competitors in the region,'' it said. 

Tuesday's decision by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could affect
dozens of American states and local governments that have imposed economic
boycotts on companies that do business with Myanmar to protest human rights
abuses there. 

The ruling found human rights conditions in Myanmar are ``deplorable'' but
said the law interfered with the federal government's constitutional powers
to conduct foreign affairs. 

The Massachusetts law, enacted in 1996, banned state agencies, which
purchase $2 billion in goods and services annually, from doing business
with any company that trades with Myanmar. 

The court ruled Massachusetts had no right to single out a particular
trading partner for a boycott and no authorization to regulate activities
in Myanmar through economic sanctions. 

The lawsuit was brought by the National Foreign Trade Council, which
represents 580 major U.S. corporations. The Massachusetts law affected more
than 30 member companies, but the group refused to name which ones for fear
consumers would boycott them.