Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

REVUE DE PRESSE-PRESS REVIEW-BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ-RIVISTA STAMPA-DENTRO
DE LA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZET;
Turkisb Daily News
SATURDAY,MAY27,1995
; Foreign Aid Bill vote postponed to June 6
"
By U~ur Akmel
Turkish Daily N~s
WASHINGTON- The US House of
Reeresentatives has decided to postpone the final
votmg on the American Overseas Interest Act of
1995 (H.R. 1561) to June 6. The bill is also
referred as the Foreign Aid Bill, although it also
covers a vast reorganization of the US State
Department and the amendment of almost every
existing law pertaining to US foreign policy. The
delay has been linked to President Clinton's
threat that he would veto the bill in its current
form.
Lack of time to debate all the amendments has
reportedly been another factor leading tothe
decision for postponement. There are currently
65 amendments on record which are awaiting
floor debate. When the initiallimit of 10 hours
for debate was exhausted, a request was made for
six more hours. The House Rules Committee met
and agreed the extension by a vote of seven to
three. The markup of the Senate version of the
bill at the Senate Appropriations Foreign
Operations subcommittee has also been postponed
to June. .
HR 1561 includes a "Humanitarian Aid
Corridor Act" amendment that would bar US
assistance to Turkey, unless Turkey lifts the
embargo on Armenia.
Another amendment which would have
impacted on Turkey proposed to link human
rights to US arms transfers, but was defeated on
Wednesday by 262 votes to 157.
One other important amendment waiting in the
wings ~roposes to withhold $500,000 a day from
US asSIstanceto Turkey unless Turkey improves
its record on human rights, Cyprus and the Fener
Orthodox Patriarchate (which was initially introduced
as HR 1274 "Turkish Human Rights
Compliance Act"). When the House reconvenes
in June it will vote on this amendment.
$320 million for Turkey
If and when it is approved by the House, the
bill will authorize loans worth $224 million for
Greece and $320 million for Turkey in the financial
rear 1996, corresponding to the "subsidy
cost' levels of $26.62 million for Greece and
$37.8 million for Turkey in the same fmancial
year. The subsidy cost is the real cost of these
loans to the American taxpayers. This year the
subsidy cost levels are lower "because interest
costs were lower and the credit ratings of these
House of Representatives offers
$320 million for Turkey
countries were higher," according to the House
report on HR 1561. The proposed amounts maintam
the 7-to-10 ratio between the level of US
assistance given to Greece and Turkey.
The amounts authorized by. the House for the
financial year 1996 are 28.8 percent lower than
the $315 million fdr Greece and the $450 million
for Turkey which were originally requested by
the Administration.
The total subsidy cost authorized by the
Administration for both Turkey and Greece was
$89.89 million. The levels in the financial year
1995 (the net levels excluding the 10 percent
conditioned for both countries), are $229 million
for Greece and $328 million for Turkey. Thus the
levels proposed for next year are almost identical
to the levels this year.
The House report on HR 1561 says "the
[International Relations] Committee's recommended
level of funding for Turkey completes
the commitment of the U.S. for funding a joint F-
16 fighter aircraft program for the Turkish Air
Force."
Economic Support Fund
The bill propose.s $50 million in the financial
year 1996 and $40 million in 1997 as an econom-
IC support assistance fund (ESP) for Turkey. This
is a cash credit provided with no strings attached.
The US provided at least twice as much in previousyears.
The International Relations Committee
said "for further assistance allocations, the
Committee will pay special attention to the open-
ÏI!gu~ of Turkish markets to US goods and ser-
ViceS.' -
Within the context of the ESF, the Committee
also stated that it is "concerned about the human
rights situation in Turkey, ,Particularly government
actions against journalists and others which
infringe upon freedom of expression."
The Committee has also gone on record that it
accepts the Greek thesis that the Fener
Patriarchate represents all Orthodox Christians in
the world. "The Committee expresses concern
regarding recent attacks on the Ecumenical
Patriarchate in Istanbul, Turkey, the center for
over 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide."
Turkey does not accept the ecumenical
status of the Patriarchate.
Free-trade ae:reement
With Cyprus?
The House also proposes to give [Greek]
Cyprus $15 million as ESF in 1996 and 1997 ''to
support scholarships and bicommunal projects,"
like it did in the financial year 1995.
The committee suggested that a free-trade
agreement might be a good idea to help Cyprus..
"The Committee urges the
Administration to study other ways to demonstrate
and improve the close ties between the U.S.
and Cyprus. One such proposal may be to study
jointly the prospects for a free trade agreement
between the U.S. and Cyprus."
Since the late president Tur~ut OzaI's time,
Turkey has always asked for ' more trade, not
aid" from the US but Washington never considered
the prospects of a free-trade arrangement
with Turkey. The US currently has such an
arrangement with Canada and Mexico ,in the
NAnA agreement. .
HR 1561 also proposes many sweeping
changes in US foreign policy, including the
amendmen( of almost all the foreign affairs related
laws on the books.
One such change to be made to the "State
Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956" proposes
to eliminate the Office for Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor currently headed by
Assistant Secretary John Shattuck, a vocal critic
of human rights Violations in Turkey. Shattuck's
office, if Hl 1561 is accepted by the House,
would become the Bureau for Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor.
Shattuck' s title would be changed to
Coordinator for Human Rights and Refugees and
he would head the newly established Bureau of
Refugees and Migration Assistance as well. The
coordinator will be appointed by the President
and will carry the rank and status of "ambassador-at-large."
At this point, it is not clear yet if this represents
a demotion for Shattuck, who is currently
not an ambassador but reports directly to
Secretary Christopher, just like Amb. Philip
Wilcox, the Coordinator for Counterterrorism. A
State Department source told the TDN that
Shattuck, as a coordinator, will have "precedence
among the other Assistant Secretaries of State"
and come fourth in rank after the Secretary of
State, the Deputy Secretary and the Under
Secretaries. Despite that, a lDN source alleged
that the new "bureau" will have a smaller staff
and smaller budget to work with.
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