Speech #960206739

Mr. Chairman. basically this amendment should be appropriately called a burdensharing amendment. It is designed to encourage the international donor community and the international banking community to join forces to help make refugee resettlement programs selfsupporting. instead of being just the sole responsibility of the United States. Thus. while we are asking no funds from the Congress for this amendment. eventually. if the Asian Development Bank agrees to go along with our suggestion. any moneys contributed by the United States could reasonably be expected to offset the need for money diectly donated to less productive refugee programs throughout Asia and will in effect. cause refugee relief in the form of resettlement to become an international project. rather than a U.S. project alone. When the Asian Development Bank accepts our proposal. and in the event the Banks members agree to contribute to an Asian Refugee Resettlement Fund. then and only then would the Congress be asked to authorize money. At that time. our amendment would limit to 25 percent of the total of the Fund the maximum the United States could be asked to contribute. Thus. this Fund would be similar to other United Nations and similar international projects. such as the World Bank. which we have traditionally funded at a 25percent level. So in essence. our amendment. which will cost the United States nothing at this stage. is a "selfhelp" measure in the best sense of the word. for it should help stimulate action by opening up the possibility of U.S. funding. but only if the Asian nations themselves agree to take the initiative. and bear the brunt of the financial responsibilities. Our intent in proposing this special matching fund is to give emphasis to development in presently underdeveloped and/or underpopulated areas of Asia without disrupting the existing social or economic balance. The nations of first temporary asylum must be assured that they will not be saddled with a permanent "residue" of refugees for whom they must shoulder the burden. without hope for the future. Our amendment also makes clear that the President is to encourage a similar matching fund from the World Bank. and that the President should work to encourage world donations to the Refugee Resettlement Fund. For now. we face the tragic humanitarian prospect of up to 1 million refugees fleeing Afghanistan for Pakistan by this spring. This mass exodus. in itself as great as that in Indochina. is simply beyond the capacity of Pakistan. and the existing United Nations program. to adequately support. At this critical time for the Afghan people. world support is vital to their survival. For the long range. such projects as can be funded by the Asian Development Bank can help make them selfsupporting. and thus help Pakistan weather the stormy seas it is now braving to support the Afghans seeking safety on her soil. And as for Indochina. this House has heard too many times in the past year about the horrifying conditions under which hundreds of thousands of refugees from Vietnam. Laos. and Cambodia are suffering. It is essential that ways and means be found to help convert these people into productive members of the Southeast Asian community. resettled peacefully and productively elsewhere in the world. Our amendment would help the Asian Development Bank explore ways of allowing the refugees to help themselves. instead of being permanent international wards. Thus. in both Indochina and sputh Asia. our amendment. with the cooparation of the Asian Development Bank. could be a key to perserving economic viability and social stability in two regions of vital strategic significance to the United States. Let me underline again that we are asking for no money from the Congress at this time. and will do so only in the future event that the Asian Development Bank agrees to set up and administer a special matching fund for refugee resettlement. In conclusion. I have discussed this concept on many occasions with the U.S. representative to the Asian Development Bank. and can assure this House that he is enthusiastically behind the idea. as are officials of the United Nations. and other international experts. who are involved in trying to alleviate the plight of the more than 1 million refugees in Asia. I urge support for our amendment. and thank Chairman REuss and Chairman GONZALEZ for their support on behalf of the Banking Committee.