Chairman. I think it is important for the Committee to look at the reason for the difference in the figures between last year and this year. One of the significant.changes is with respect to funding for refugees in the Middle East. As I believe every Member here recognizes. the problems in the Middle East. including the refugee problem in the Middle East. have grown rather than decreased as a result of events over the last year. One of the last things we need to do is to pull the rug out from under the Middle East refugee program. The amount of money we are talking about here is peanuts compared to the expenditure of $2.2 billion we became involved in. in an effort to resupply Israel following the last Middle East war. If we were to handicap or to cripple the capacity of UNRWA to deal effectively or more effectivelybecause it is a minimum programwith the people and the problems of the Middle East refugees. we would simply be pouring oil on an already burning fire. It would be the worst kind of pennywisepoundfoolish act. It would force a reduction in the Middle East funds at a time when peace in the Middle East is precarious. when we have our Secretary of State working his head off in trying to find a way to bring about some resolution of the conflict.
Keywords matched
refugee refugees