U.S. House okays military aid for RI

U.S. House okays military aid for RI

WASHINGTON (Agencies): American military aid to Indonesia was
safeguarded when the Republican-controlled House of
Representatives foiled on Tuesday the 1997 foreign operations
appropriations bill which sees heavy cuts on most other items,
UPI reported.

The call to slash the allocation of the International Military
Education Training (IMET) funds to Indonesia came from Democrat
Representative Barney Frank. He is concerned about the
government's human rights record in East Timor.

"Human rights cannot simply be disregarded," Frank said.

Republican Representative Benjamin Gilman did not dispute
Frank's assertion but said "it is my view that continuing the
IMET program will enhance the ability of the U.S. to influence
Indonesia's military."

Washington froze the IMET program for Indonesia in 1992 under
pressure from what was then a Democrat-controlled House. The
termination came in response to ABRI's handling of a protest in
East Timor which led to fatalities.

The program finances the training of senior military officers
in the United States.

UPI did not report the amount of IMET funds destined for
Indonesia, but the fund had reached US$2.5 million (Rp 5.8
billion) a year before it was frozen in 1992.

The 1997 foreign operations appropriations bill, which set
U.S. foreign aid and export financing spending at $11.9 billion,
was approved by a 366 to 57 vote. It is now sent to the American
Senate.

The House bill is $1 billion less than President Bill Clinton
asked for, and $458 million less than fiscal 1996 levels.

"This bill cuts foreign aid to less than 1 percent of the
entire federal budget," said Sonny Callahan, an Alabama
Republican and chairman of an appropriations subcommittee on
foreign affairs.

Among the provisions of the bill are a $175 million cut for
the International Development Association, a $30 million cut for
the Agency for International Development, and $4 million less for
the Economic Support Fund. There are also broad cuts to a handful
of international social aid organizations. U.S.-based
international family planning efforts, for example, were
radically slashed.