Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican and chair of the energy committee, has introduced legislation to lift the trade restriction.

So the target is of course on German to lift the trade bans, and of course the rest of the world.

Republican lawmakers in Washington have also refused to take up Obama's request to lift the trade embargo, which requires an act of Congress.

Obama, a Democrat, has already started to lift barriers to trade and travel but needs the Republican-controlled congress to completely lift the trade embargo.

If Chamorro won, President Bush said in November, "the United States would be ready to lift the trade embargo and assist in Nicaragua's reconstruction."

The Geneva accord also lifts the trade ban affecting the country's petrochemicals, gold and other precious metals.

The letter shows the difficulty of reaching a deal in the Senate on lifting the trade restriction.

London lift The trade is a step to boost London's status further as an international renminbi hub.