Among the provisions of the bill before the committee was an authorization for the appropriation of funds to continue the U.S. contribution for support of the UNRWA. including the ration distribution program. Administration officials testifying before the committee freely expressed their concern about the ration card situation. As I understand the testimony of these officials. the administration hopes that the Government of Jordan can be persuaded to take the initiative and to take some action to clean up the refugee rolls. Thus far. however. so far as I can ascertain. and I have made diligent and repeated inquiry. no progress whatever has been made in terms of concrete measures to do anything about the situation either in response to the language of the U.N. resolution or in response to whatever unilateral representations our own Government has undertaken. Moreover. unless the United States takes a firm position about the matter. I think there is little if any likelihood that anything effective will be done. In some respects the situation in Jordan differs from that which pertains in the other refugee areas. I did not find this condition prevailing in other countriesin Lebanon or in the United Arab Republic. In Jordan the refugees are citizens. and as such they vote. Moreover. the holders of refugee ration cards cast a substantial percentage of the total Jordanian vote. The Government of Jordan is said to be dependent upon the support of the refugee voters. Whether this be true or not. it is at least obvious that the Jordanian Government has evidenced a strong disinclination to take any action whatever that might alienate the holders of refugee ration cards. Indeed. I was informed by United Nations personnel. employees and officials in Jordan. that upon occasion when they had attempted to inquire into the validity of ration cards the officials of the U.N. were beaten up and the Government of Jordan refused to provide police protection.
Keywords matched
refugee refugees