US Senate panel approves bill for visa-free travel for citizens from CEE (bne )

A US Senate panel on Thursday approved legislation that could lead to visa-free travel to the United States for citizens from Eastern European nations, Latvian News Agency reported.

The bill endorsed by the Homeland Security Committee would allow U.S. President George W Bush to designate which countries to include in the visa waiver program based on their cooperation in the war on terrorism.

The bill still must be approved by the full Senate, and a similar measure must pass in the lower House of Representatives before Bush can sign it into law.