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.