DATE=4/4/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=SENATE-COLOMBIA-KOSOVO (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-260953
BYLINE=DAVID SWAN
DATELINE=CAPITOL HILL
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: President Clinton's request for money to help
Colombia fight the drug war will apparently have to
wait longer than the president hoped. V-O-A's David
Swan reports, the proposal has hit a procedural snag
on Capitol Hill.
TEXT: The Senate will not take up a so-called
emergency supplemental spending bill, which includes
one-point-seven billion dollars in anti-drug aid for
Colombia. Among other things, the legislation would
also pay for peacekeeping in (the Yugoslav province
of) Kosovo, and provide relief to hurricane victims on
the eastern U-S coast.
The proposal cleared the House of Representatives last
week by a wide margin (263 to 146). But in the Senate
it ran into strong resistance from fiscally
conservative Republicans, especially Majority Leader
Trent Lott. Mr. Lott argued the 12-point-seven-
billion dollar package had grown too costly, and would
use up too much of the government budget surplus. As
a result of his opposition, the emergency spending
measure has now been put aside.
Mr. Lott says the anti-drug funds, peacekeeping money
and other parts of the bill can be split off and
attached to other spending legislation. But the White
House attacked the move, warning it will hurt U-S
interests and the armed forces' readiness. The Senate
Democratic leader, Tom Daschle, joined in criticizing
the Republican approach.
// Daschle act //
This was a mistake. The House moved it (the
bill) quickly for a reason. There's an urgency,
an immediacy to the need here. And I'm very
disappointed that we don't recognize the same
urgency and immediacy here. I shouldn't say we.
They, the Republicans, the Republican
leadership. It's a mistake not to take up the
supplemental (spending bill).
// end act //
It is not clear how long the funds for Colombia and
elsewhere might be delayed. The head of the
Pentagon's Southern Command, Marine General Charles
Wilhelm, urged senators (Tuesday) not to hold up the
money, calling it crucial to the fight against the
drug trade. (Signed)
NEB/DS/PT
04-Apr-2000 17:45 PM EDT (04-Apr-2000 2145 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
