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“FOREIGN OPERATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1999” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H5273-H5274 on June 24, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
FOREIGN OPERATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1999
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives will soon be addressing the foreign operations appropriations bill for fiscal year 1999. Shortly after the July 4 recess members of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs will begin marking up this legislation, which determines to a major degree American engagement in a changing world.
I would like to take this opportunity to address an area where I believe American policies, assistance, and investment can make a critical difference in promoting our values of democracy, human rights, and free markets. That is, support for the Republics of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.
Mr. Speaker, I served as co-chairman with the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Porter) of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues. Our Caucus has 64 members from both sides of the aisle, and I visited Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh, and can tell Members that the need for help is still great, and the potential of Armenia to be a long-term friend and partner of the United States is also great.
The Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related deserves praise for many important provisions in the fiscal year 1998 foreign ops bill. That legislation provided for the first time direct U.S. humanitarian assistance to the people of Nagorno Karabagh. It also established a discretionary spending fund to restore infrastructure and promote regional integration in the Caucasus.
As in previous years, the legislation also earmarked direct aid to the Republic of Armenia. It maintained the section 907 ban on direct aid to Azerbaijan, albeit with some very big exemptions, until that country lifts its blockade of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. In order to build on the progress made last year, I hope my colleagues who serve on the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs will consider the following proposals.
First, I urge an earmark of not less than $100 million to Armenia to promote economic development, trade, and increase U.S. investment. Because Armenia is largely cut off from the west due to the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades, U.S. assistance has played a vital role in helping this small landlocked Nation to survive. Despite the hardships caused by the blockades, Armenia has registered strong economic growth, with the private sector accounting for a large and growing share of GDP.
Furthermore, aid to Armenia is strictly monitored and effectively implemented. Earlier this year Armenia's voters had successful presidential elections, further proof of the impressive development of a multi-party democracy.
I also urge the subcommittee to build upon its historic achievement in the fiscal year 1998 bill to earmark assistance to Nagorno Karabagh at $20 million. This mountainous Republic is indeed a functioning society, a fact attested to by members of the USAID team that visited Karabagh to conduct a needs assessment pursuant to the fiscal year 1998 bill.
Unfortunately, our State Department has apparently interpreted the provision of aid to the victims of the Karabagh conflict, contrary to the intent of the subcommittee, as referring also to expanding existing funds for Azerbaijan's needs.
I would urge the subcommittee to build on the fine precedent it established last year by increasing the earmark for Nagorno Karabagh, specifying that the funds are targeted for use within Nagorno Karabagh and further broadening the scope of assistance to Karabagh to include the reconstruction of infrastructure damaged during the war.
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I also believe we must maintain, without any exemptions, Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which became law in 1992. We must not allow any weakening or other ways of getting around the requirements of Section 907.
In addition, I believe we should require the administration to report to Congress on what steps it is taking to ensure Azerbaijan's compliance with the conditions of Section 907.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, in keeping with this goal of attaching tough but fair conditions to the provision of U.S. aid, we should retain the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act. This act became law in 1996, and I believe, as most Americans, that countries that block the delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance to other countries should not themselves receive assistance from the United States.
While the Corridor Act provision does not single out any countries, it would clearly affect the Republic of Turkey, which has imposed a blockade on Armenia since April of 1993. Given Turkey's failure to abide by the requirements of the Corridor Act, I urge the subcommittee consider tightening the provisions by removing or at least strictly limiting the current broad discretion of the Presidential waiver.
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