The Associated Press : 05-24-2007 "International Herald Tribune U.S. legislation expanding visa-free travel encountering unexpected opposition The Associated Press Thursday, May 24, 2007 WASHINGTON: Lawmakers are trying to handle a sensitive issue in relations with European countries by expanding a program that allows their citizens to travel to the United States without visas. Even some of the countries who stand to benefit, however, are objecting that a bill passed in the Senate this week would be too restrictive. President George W. Bush is traveling early next month to two of the countries seeking to join the program, Poland and the Czech Republic. The administration, which favors limited expansion of the program, would like to reward allies who have been supportive in the Iraq war and in anti-terror cooperation. At the same time, it worries that the visa waiver program could make it easier for terrorists to enter the United States. Under the Senate legislation, some citizens of the European Union's 27 member nations probably still would have to obtain visas before traveling to the United States. A less-restrictive measure is being considered in the House of Representatives, and the two would have to be reconciled for a final version to be passed. U.S. officials were to appear Thursday at a House hearing on the issue. The current program allows citizens from most Western European countries and some from other parts of the world to enter the country without visas, but it excludes many of the newer EU member states. Under public pressure, the governments in those countries have been prodding the United States to make changes to ease travel and acknowledge their status in the West's elite clubs, the European Union and NATO. "We want to get to the point where the first-class European allies won't be treated as second class," Slovakia's ambassador to Washington, Rastislav Kacer, said in an interview. A number of ambassadors whose countries are seeking entry to the program, including Lithuania's envoy to Washington, Audrius Bruzga, said the onerous process of obtaining visas is undermining the U.S. image in their countries. "This issue dominates press coverage of relations with the United States in Lithuania," Bruzga said. Lawmakers were looking to improve relations when they passed the bill sponsored by Republican Sen. George Voinovich. But last-minute changes to the bill would impose stricter requirements that probably would exclude a number of the countries. Those requirements are based on the number of a country's citizens who have been denied visas or exceeded their legal stays in the United States. Seven of the countries whose citizens are required to obtain visas have hired a Washington lobbying firm, Dutko Worldwide, to sway lawmakers. Those countries are Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia. Their ambassadors signed a letter to members of Congress this week objecting to the legislation. They said the amendment shifts the focus from dealing with security policy concerns to issues of illegal immigration. The letter calls for passing the House legislation without the Senate's restriction. A number of the countries whose representatives are lobbying against the measure probably would meet the requirements but say they want to speak in concert with the others. "We are in the position of solidarity with Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania and other countries," said Jaroslav Kurfurst, deputy chief of mission in Washington for the Czech Republic. That is among the countries that probably would meet the requirements. Some analysts worry that the dispute is misguided. "I think what should be focused on is what is good about what has been done and building momentum," said James Dean, deputy director of government relations at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington that has published papers advocating expansion of the program. "This could have a dampening effect on momentum." "View Article » Learn more about Dutko's 'International Government Relations' Team. »