[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 113 (Tuesday, September 1, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9724-S9730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.


                           Amendment No. 3495

 (Purpose: To provide a limited waiver for certain foreign students of 
 the requirement to reimburse local educational agencies for the costs 
                      of the students' education)

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask 
for its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Kentucky [Mr. McConnell], for Mr. Lugar, 
     proposes an amendment numbered 3495.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of 
the amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

       On page 114, strike all after line 1 through page 115 line 
     6 and insert the following:

     SEC. 578. LIMITED WAIVER OF REIMBURSEMENT REQUIREMENT FOR 
                   CERTAIN FOREIGN STUDENTS.

       Section 214(l)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
     U.S.C. 1184(l)(1)), as added by section 625(a)(1) of the 
     Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act 
     of 1996 (110 Stat. 3009-699), is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (B), by redesignating clauses (i) and 
     (ii) as subclauses (I) and (II), respectively;
       (2) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as clauses 
     (i) and (ii), respectively;
       (3) by striking ``(l)(1)'' and inserting ``(l)(1)(A)''; and
       (4) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
       ``(B) The Attorney General shall waive the application of 
     subparagraph (A)(ii) for an alien seeking to pursue a course 
     of study in a public secondary school served by a local 
     educational agency (as defined in section 14101 of the 
     Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     8801) if the agency determines and certifies to the Attorney 
     General that such waiver will promote the educational 
     interest of the agency and will not impose an undue financial 
     burden on the agency.''.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this amendment has been cleared on this 
side of the aisle and, I believe, on the other side.
  Mr. LEAHY. There is no objection on this side of the aisle.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 3495) was agreed to.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. LEAHY. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.


              American Educational Institutions in Lebanon

  Mr. ABRAHAM. Would the Senator from Kentucky yield for a question?
  Mr. McCONNELL. I would be happy to yield to the Senator from 
Michigan.
  Mr. ABRAHAM. I want to thank the Senator from Kentucky for the 
interest

[[Page S9725]]

that he and his committee have taken in American educational 
institutions abroad, and the role they play in advancing basic American 
values in countries of key strategic interest to the United States. As 
the Chairman knows, I believe that Lebanon is one of the countries 
where American leadership is especially needed. Therefore, I was 
pleased that the committee's report on S. 2334 gives special 
recognition to the importance of the American University of Beirut and 
Lebanese American University. As the report states, both these 
institutions, AUB and LAU, deserve further support from the American 
Schools and Hospitals Abroad program. I would like to ask the Senator 
from Kentucky if he agrees with me that AID also should directly 
support the American educational institutions in Lebanon through our 
bilateral aid program to that country.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Yes. The Senator is quite right. Our aid program to 
Lebanon is structured so that all assistance is channeled through 
grants or contracts to American non-governmental organizations or U.S. 
firms. The American educational institutions there should be the first 
to be supported. Education is at the heart of what we are trying to 
accomplish with our aid program. It instills the fundamental values 
that will guide the next generation of leaders. It will determine 
whether those leaders share our commitment to democracy and free market 
principles, and whether they learn how to solve their own problems or 
remain dependent on us. An investment in American education will pay 
greater dividends than anything else we can do in Lebanon.
  Mr. ABRAHAM. I am pleased to hear the Chairman say that. 
Unfortunately, AID currently is not pursuing such a policy in Lebanon. 
The agency has established three strategic objectives for the country: 
expanded economic opportunity, increased effectiveness of democratic 
institutions, and improved environmental practices. Each of these 
objectives certainly deserves special attention and are quite 
important, thus I have no complaint about them as such. But, 
strengthening the American educational presence in the country should 
also be an objective. In fact, it should be the primary objective. The 
American educational institutions can help achieve these other three 
objectives, and many more, if their core educational and research 
activities are enhanced. To some degree AID recognizes the invaluable 
resource they have in these institutions, and the agency is in fact 
contracting with them to help accomplish the goals it has set for the 
country. But it seems to have missed the essential point that these 
institutions themselves need revitalization after fifteen years of war 
in Lebanon, and that this cannot be accomplished without supporting the 
rebuilding of weakened institutional structures. The American 
educational institutions in Lebanon can and should be called upon to 
help rebuild the country, but it is shortsighted not to commit 
additional resources to rebuild them as well.
  Mr. McCONNELL. The Senator from Michigan has special knowledge of 
Lebanon, and his expertise is well respected by all his colleagues here 
in the Senate. The point he makes is indeed sound. I am grateful to 
have his observations, and I am sure that AID will want to give them 
heed. I would like to assure my colleague that the committee will 
encourage the agency to do so, and we will monitor the situation to see 
if changes are made.
  Mr. ABRAHAM. I thank the Chairman.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (At the request of Mr. McConnell, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)
 Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I wish to thank Chairman McConnell 
and Senator Leahy for their work in putting together a foreign 
operations funding bill that provides for our national security 
interests while doing so under tough fiscal constraints.
  I would also like to commend the Chairman and Ranking Member on their 
recognition of the important role Tunisia has played in the Middle East 
Peace Process for the past several years.
  Tunisia has been a long-time friend of the United States. Tunisia 
has, since the beginning of the Peace Process, fully committed itself 
to this process, which is viewed as the only way to restore peace in 
the Middle East.
  They launched the first U.S.-PLO dialogue as well as the first 
preparatory talks between Israeli and Palestinian leadership in Tunis. 
Tunisia was the first Arab country to host meetings within the 
framework of the Peace Process.
  Furthermore, a trilateral meeting was held in Washington in October 
1995 bringing together the three Foreign Ministers of the United 
States, Israel and Tunisia, followed soon afterwards by another 
trilateral meeting, in January 1996, in Washington, D.C. A decision was 
then announced to open, both in Tunis and in Tel Aviv, interest 
sections in order to encourage the process of normalization between 
Arab States and Israel.
  The Tunisian's have undertaken these diplomatic initiatives at some 
level of security risk. Tunisia's next door neighbor is Libya. 
Nevertheless the Tunisians have refused to engage in an arms race. In 
1997, they participated in 20 joint military exercises with the U.S. 
and the European Command.
  I believe it is time that we demonstrate our appreciation and support 
for this country through funding commitments. I also encourage the 
Administration to begin exploring additional funding initiatives in 
fiscal year 2000.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, Senator Inouye and Senator Stevens were 
instrumental in securing funding for Tunisia. I have had a number of 
conversations with both members regarding this initiative. I have also 
advised them of the tough fiscal constraints under which we in the 
Foreign Operations Committee are operating.
  However, I too recognize Tunisia's importance in the Peace Process 
and have agreed with Senator Leahy to provide $7 million of Foreign 
Military Financing (FMF) in this bill. $5 million is available under 
draw down authority and $2 million will be available through a direct 
grant.
  I want to assure Senators Inouye and Stevens that if the Tunisians 
continue their role in the Peace Process, we will explore other funding 
initiatives in the fiscal year 2000 Foreign Operations Appropriations 
bill.
  Mr. Inouye. Mr. President, I thank Chairman McConnell and Senator 
Leahy and look forward to working with them on this issue in the Fiscal 
Year 2000 Appropriations bill.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Roberts). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.


                         Privilege of the Floor

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that privileges of 
the floor be granted to Bob Guidos, a fellow on my staff, during the 
pendency of S. 2334, the foreign operations appropriations bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DURBIN. I thank the Chair.
  Mr. President, I have submitted three amendments for consideration by 
the chairman and ranking minority member of the Foreign Operations 
Appropriations Subcommittee. It is my understanding that there will not 
be objection, but I would like to briefly describe each of these 
amendments and then offer them for consideration by the Senate.
  The first amendment that I will offer is one which addresses the 
microcredit issue. This is one that I think is of extraordinary 
importance in terms of supporting and promoting the entrepreneurial 
spirit of small business people around the globe through the use of 
microcredit loans.
  For those unfamiliar with the term, microcredit is a very small loan 
given to very poor people with dramatic and positive results. By 
accepting this amendment, we could enhance the lives of thousands of 
impoverished people

[[Page S9726]]

throughout the world as well as their families and communities.
  Many years ago, I journeyed to Bangladesh with a colleague of mine 
from the House of Representatives, Mike Synar of Oklahoma, who passed 
away a couple years ago. In Bangladesh, we saw the activities of the 
Grameen Bank, the people's bank, which gave small loans to very, very 
poor people. Through those loans, these peoples lives were transformed. 
The people understood that this was a rare opportunity. And, they were 
supported by people in their communities who would cosign the loans. 
The payback rate on the loans was in the high 90th percentile. With 
only a few dollars, maybe $100, a woman in Bangladesh had a chance to 
buy some tools that would allow her to pursue a trade and to feed her 
family. Another woman might be able to buy a dairy cow and with the 
milk from that cow she could feed her children as well as provide 
products for sale, which would provide some income for her family.
  These microcredit loans are not charity; they are a means to provide 
poor, fledgling entrepreneurs in lesser developed countries with loans 
for startup of individual businesses. It has proven to be a successful 
way to help these people achieve economic independence and dignity for 
themselves.
  It is interesting that where we found people in Bangladesh involved 
in microcredit, we also found timely discussion and debate about 
critical issues, such as the elevation of the status of women, for 
example. It wasn't a surprise to find that the women involved in 
Grameen Bank were also actively involved in prenatal activities so that 
their children would be more healthy. They also actively participated 
in family planning programs on a voluntary basis that helped them to 
take personal responsibility for the size of their families as well as 
other issues that all of us, I believe, agree are part of the solution 
to dealing with developing economies.
  My amendment will change the status of the program in one slight 
respect. It gives microcredit a higher priority among U.S. enterprise 
development efforts. This amendment will ensure that at least half of 
the funds already appropriated through this bill, S. 2334, for USAID 
for microenterprise initiatives will be used for programs providing 
loans of less than $300 to poor people, particularly women, or for 
institutional support of organizations primarily engaged in microcredit 
loans.
  We don't increase the overall spending amount; we merely have a 
reallocation of the smaller loans in this package. Existing loans have 
a remarkably high repayment rate of 95 percent or more.
  This amendment supports the goals of the Microcredit Summit held in 
Washington, DC, in 1997 to offer credit for self-employment and other 
financial aid. It also supports the goals found in S. 2152, the 
Microcredit for Self-sufficiency Act of 1998, introduced in June, 
sponsored by myself, Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, and 22 other 
Senators on a bipartisan basis.
  I believe that the use of microcredit loans is a pragmatic and proven 
method for fostering the growth of small businesses.
  I thank the chairman for acceptance of this amendment.


                           Amendment No. 3496

 (Purpose: To allocate funds available for activities pursuant to the 
                      Microenterprise Initiative)

  Mr. DURBIN. I send this amendment to the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no objection, the pending 
amendments are set aside so that the amendments offered by the Senator 
from Illinois are the pending business. The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Illinois [Mr. Durbin] proposes an 
     amendment numbered 3496.

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading 
of the amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

       On page 11, line 15, before the period insert the 
     following: ``Provided further, That, of the funds 
     appropriated under this heading and made available for 
     activities pusuant to the Microenterprise Initiative, not 
     less than one-half shall be expended on programs providing 
     loans of less than $300 to very poor people, particularly 
     women, or for institutional support of organizations 
     primarily engaged in making such loans''.


                           Amendment No. 3497

  (Purpose: To express the sense of Congress regarding United States 
                     citizens imprisoned in Peru.)

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, my second amendment is one that deals with 
an issue of some controversy in my State of Illinois and one that we 
have followed very closely.
  Several years ago, two young people from Illinois made a very serious 
mistake. These young, I believe then teenage girls accepted an 
invitation to fly to Peru. It sounded too good to be true and it was. 
They found themselves lured into a drug trade and subsequently were 
arrested in Peru.
  For almost two years now, these young ladies, one is Jennifer Davis 
of Illinois, have languished in prison in Lima, Peru. Neither Jennifer 
Davis nor her family deny the fact that she is guilty as charged and 
that she should be sentenced and should serve time for the crime she 
has committed. In fact, she has cooperated fully with the Peruvian 
authorities and those who are seeking to find who was responsible for 
the drug trading involved.
  The difficulty, of course, is that the Peruvian legal system is much 
different than the United States system. It took an excruciatingly long 
period of time, nine months, before Jennifer was actually charged, 
brought to trial, and convicted. We had hoped that the trial and 
conviction would lead to the possibility of her being sentenced and 
then extradited to the United States to serve time for her sentence in 
an American prison, which is customary under international law. But, 
the conviction was appealed by her codefendants. Under the Peruvian 
system, the appeal went to the Supreme Court, which called for a new 
trial. Now, the process has started all over again.
  I have spoken directly to Jennifer Davis' parents. I have spoken to 
the U.S. Ambassador to Peru, Mr. Jett, about this case. It is not my 
intention in offering this amendment to in any way be confrontational 
with the Government of Peru. What we are attempting to do is to urge 
them to follow accepted international standards for a timely hearing 
and a timely trial of Jennifer Davis and all other Americans being held 
in Peruvian prisons. We do not presume the outcome of these trials. We 
do not ask for special or favorable treatment, only that they be 
treated as prisoners are treated in the United States and most other 
countries--in a timely fashion--and that any decision by those courts 
be carried out in a fair manner.
  That is all that we can ask. It is all that we do in this amendment.
  I send the amendment to the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair asks the Senator, we still have the 
Senator's first amendment pending. Does the Senator wish to dispose of 
his amendment prior to offering this amendment?
  Mr. DURBIN. I certainly do. I ask the chairman of the subcommittee if 
he has any objection.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we have no objection to the Durbin 
amendments. Maybe we should go ahead and approve the first one.
  Mr. DURBIN. I thank the Senator.


                       Vote on Amendment No. 3496

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate on the amendment? 
Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 3496) was agreed to.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which 
the amendment was agreed to.
  Mr. DURBIN. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.


                           Amendment No. 3497

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the second amendment.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Illinois [Mr. Durbin] proposes an 
     amendment numbered 3497.

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading 
of the amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:


[[Page S9727]]


       At the appropriate place in the bill, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. ____. SENSE OF SENATE REGARDING UNITED STATES CITIZENS 
                   HELD IN PRISONS IN PERU.

       It is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) as a signatory of the International Covenant on Civil 
     and Political Rights, the Government of Peru is obligated to 
     grant prisoners timely legal proceedings pursuant to Article 
     9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
     Rights, which requires that ``anyone arrested or detained on 
     a criminal charge shall be brought promptly before a judge or 
     other officer authorized by law to exercise judicial power 
     and shall be entitled to trial within a reasonable time or 
     release'', and that ``any one who is deprived of his liberty 
     by arrest or detention shall be entitled to take proceedings 
     before a court, in order that that court may decide without 
     delay on the lawfulness of his detention and order his 
     release if the detention is not lawful'';
       (2) the Government of Peru should respect the rights of 
     prisoners to timely legal procedures, including the rights of 
     all United States citizens held in prisons in that country; 
     and
       (3) the Government of Peru should take all necessary steps 
     to ensure that any United States citizen charged with 
     committing a crime in that country is accorded open and fair 
     proceedings in a civilian court.

  Mr. DURBIN. If there is no objection from the chairman or ranking 
member----
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we have no objection to the second 
Durbin amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the amendment? Without 
objection, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 3497) was agreed to.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which 
the amendment was agreed to.
  Mr. DURBIN. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized.


                           Amendment No. 3498

   (Purpose: To require a report on the training provided to foreign 
 military personnel in the United States during fiscal years 1998 and 
                                 1999)

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I have one last amendment. Let me 
apologize. I thought they were going to be considered en bloc. I 
understand now.
  This last amendment is an attempt to address a matter of great 
concern in an objective manner, and that is the concern of some in the 
United States that we have expended taxpayers' dollars over the years 
for the training of foreign military officers and personnel in the 
United States with sometimes unintended tragic results.
  First, let me say, that many of the individuals who have come to the 
United States from foreign countries to receive military training have 
returned to their home countries and have served the cause of justice 
and the cause of civilian control of the military in an admirable way, 
but there have been notable exceptions.
  I will not at this moment offer the amendment that I had planned to 
offer involving the controversial School of the Americas. I was 
prepared to offer that amendment which would close down and terminate 
the School of the Americas. That is an amendment which has been 
considered for many years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and I 
voted for it there. I believe we should close that School. That is 
still my heartfelt belief.
  I have spoken to those who share my point of view. It is their belief 
at this moment that we should not offer that amendment. I follow their 
advice on the subject.
  Instead, I would like to offer for the consideration of the Senate 
and the House of Representatives and all others an amendment that would 
require the Inspectors General of the Department of Defense and 
Department of State to submit a report to Congress which spells out 
exactly what training is available to foreign military leaders and 
personnel in the United States, including the location, the duration, 
the numbers involved, the cost of the training, the purpose and nature 
of the training and, most importantly, an analysis as to whether that 
training is consistent with United States foreign policy and the goals 
of promoting democracy and the civilian control of the military and the 
promotion of human rights. I think this will set the stage for a more 
thorough and thoughtful consideration of all of the programs that might 
involve foreign military officers and personnel being trained in the 
United States.
  Let me say at the outset, I believe that some of these programs are 
invaluable, that many of the men and women who are participating in 
them leave the United States and go back to their home countries 
prepared to really create a new military ethic. I think the United 
States should continue on that course. But, unfortunately, in the past, 
particularly in the case of the School of the Americas, there have been 
some very controversial instances where those who have been trained 
have responded in ways most of us would consider to be anathema. They 
have returned to their home countries and have been involved in conduct 
of which I am sure no one would ever approve.
  I ask and urge adoption of the amendment which I have offered.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Has the Senator submitted the amendment?
  Mr. DURBIN. I will submit the amendment. I just returned, Mr. 
President, from a few weeks away, and I am trying to get back into the 
flow of things. I thank the Senator for his forbearance.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair welcomes the Senator back. The clerk 
will read the amendment.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Illinois [Mr. Durbin] proposes an 
     amendment numbered 3498.

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading 
of the amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

       At the appropriate place in the bill, insert the following 
     new section:
       Sec. ____. (a) Not later than January 31, 1999, the 
     Inspector General of the Department of Defense and the 
     Inspector General of the Department of State shall jointly 
     submit to Congress a report describing the following:
       (1) The training provided to foreign military personnel 
     within the United States under any programs administered by 
     the Department of Defense or the Department of State during 
     fiscal year 1998.
       (2) The training provided (including the training proposed 
     to be provided) to such personnel within the United States 
     under such programs during fiscal year 1999.
       (b) For each case of training covered by the report under 
     subsection (a), the report shall include--
       (1) the location of the training;
       (2) the duration of the training;
       (3) the number of foreign military personnel provided the 
     training by country, including the units of operation of such 
     personnel;
       (4) the cost of the training;
       (5) the purpose and nature of the training; and
       (6) an analysis of the manner and the extent to which the 
     training meets or conflicts with the foreign policy 
     objectives of the United States, including the furtherance of 
     democracy and civilian control of the military and the 
     promotion of human rights.

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise in support of an amendment to the 
fiscal year 1999 Foreign Operations appropriations bill offered by the 
Senator from Illinois [Mr. Durbin]. The amendment requires a report to 
the Congress from the Inspectors General of the Departments of Defense 
and State detailing the type and purpose of military training provided 
to foreign military personnel within the United States during fiscal 
years 1998 and 1999. I am pleased the Senate has adopted this 
amendment.
  I have long been opposed to the continued operation of the United 
States Army's School of the Americas (SOA), located at Fort Benning, 
Georgia. This amendment will ensure that the Congress receives a full 
accounting of the duration, cost, purpose and nature of the foreign 
military training at all sites within the United States, including the 
School of the Americas. The report required by this amendment will also 
include a list of the number and country of origin of foreign military 
officers trained and the units in which these officers serve. Further, 
the report must include an analysis of whether or not the training 
these officers receive conflicts with the foreign policy objectives of 
the United States.
  While the Senator's amendment includes all foreign military training 
that is conducted in the United States, this is an especially 
appropriate time to talk about the training at the School of the 
Americas in particular. All across our country, millions of children 
are beginning a new school year. Most students this year will study 
math, science, history, and English, and perhaps foreign languages, art 
and

[[Page S9728]]

music. And they will learn the basic values of our society--honesty, 
integrity, and how to get along with each other.
  There is one school in our country, however, that has not subscribed 
to these basic American values. It is called the School of the 
Americas--a name which evokes the idea of a shared system of values 
among the United States and our democratic neighbors in the Americas. 
This school was created in 1946 with the best of intentions--to train 
Latin American military officers in combat and conterinsurgency skills, 
with the goal of professionalizing Latin American armies and 
strengthening the new democracies in our hemisphere. Its curriculum has 
included some history and math and science and foreign languages, to be 
sure. But this school has replaced the traditional three Rs with the 
three As--arrest, abduction, and assassination. Because many of its 
graduates have excelled at the three As, the school has earned the 
nickname the ``School of the Assassins.'' Others call it the ``School 
of Dictators.''
  In 1991, following an internal investigation, the Pentagon removed 
certain SOA training manuals from circulation. On September 22, 1996, 
the Pentagon released the full text of those training manuals and 
acknowledged that some of those manuals provided instruction in 
techniques that, in the Pentagon's words, were ``clearly objectionable 
and possibly illegal.'' The techniques in question included torture, 
extortion, false arrest, and execution. And the students have learned 
these lessons very well.
  The school's alumni directory reads like a who's who of international 
criminals. Among its graduates are Manuel Noriega, at least 19 
Salvadorean officers implicated by El Salvador's Truth Commission in 
the murder of six Jesuit priests, and officers who participated in the 
coup against former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
  Since I first came to the Senate in 1993, I have been contacted by 
hundreds of Wisconsin residents, including religious and school groups, 
who see the closure of this school as a moral imperative. The 
importance of removing the imprimatur of the United States from this 
school has been driven home many times during the listening sessions I 
hold in each of Wisconsin's 72 counties every year. I share my 
constituents' shock and disappointment that our government continues to 
operate a school with the miserable record of the School of the 
Americas. As a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, I 
am committed to promoting human rights throughout the world. We cannot 
do that by continuing to operate this school.
  I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of S. 980, legislation 
introduced by the Senator from Illinois [Mr. Durbin] to close this 
school. The movement to close the School of the Americas is not a new 
one. Over the past several years, there have been a number of votes on 
this issue in the House of Representatives. Many of our colleagues in 
the other body share my concern about this school. Last year, an 
amendment to close SOA was defeated by the narrowest of margins. It is 
clear that the momentum behind the bipartisan effort to close this 
school is growing, and I believe that SOA's days are numbered.
  While it may be appropriate under certain circumstances for the 
United States military to offer training to military forces from 
friendly nations, it is a mistake to conduct this training at the 
School of the Americas. I have no objection to training military 
officers from Latin America, but to continue to do so at this school 
places all future training under a sinister shadow of doubt. This 
school's reputation has been irrevocably tainted by the blood of the 
victims of its graduates. In order to remove any suggestion of 
responsibility for the deaths of these innocent people from the United 
States, and in order to lift the cloud of suspicion over American 
military training, we must separate the legitimate training exercises 
conducted by the United States military from the sordid acts most 
notorious graduates of SOA. The only way to do that is to close the 
School of the Americas once and for all.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we have no objection to the Durbin 
amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the amendment offered by 
the Senator from Illinois?
  Without objection, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 3498) was agreed to.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which 
the amendment was agreed to.
  Mr. DURBIN. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  Mr. DURBIN. Thank you, Mr. President.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                         Privilege Of The Floor

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Doug 
James, a legislative fellow in the office of Mike DeWine, be granted 
floor privileges during the pendency of S. 2334, the foreign operations 
bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                           Amendment No. 3499

(Purpose: To earmark funds for a hydraulic drilling machine to provide 
  potable drinking water in the region of the Nuba Mountains in Sudan)

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I have an amendment by Senator 
Brownback which has been cleared on both sides of the aisle. I send it 
to the desk, amendment No. 3499.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the pending amendment will 
be set aside. The clerk will report the amendment.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Kentucky [Mr. McConnell], for Mr. 
     Brownback, proposes an amendment numbered 3499.

  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment 
be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:
       On page 15, line 13, before the period insert the 
     following: ``: Provided, That, of the funds appropriated 
     under this heading, not less than $500,000 shall be available 
     only to Catholic Relief Services solely for the purpose of 
     the purchase, transport, or installation of a hydraulic 
     drilling machine to provide potable drinking water in the 
     region of the Nuba Mountains in Sudan''.

  Mr. McCONNELL. It is my understanding there is agreement to the 
amendment on both sides.
  Mr. LEAHY. There is no objection on this side. We find this amendment 
perfectly acceptable.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the amendment? Hearing 
none, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 3499) was agreed to.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. LEAHY. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                           Amendment No. 3502

  (Purpose: To provide for progress reports to Congress on efforts to 
     update the architecture of the international monetary system)

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent it be in order to 
send to the desk an amendment on behalf of the Senator from South 
Dakota, Mr. Daschle, and myself.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the pending amendment will

[[Page S9729]]

be set aside. The clerk will report the amendment.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Vermont [Mr. Leahy], for Mr. Daschle, for 
     himself and Mr. Leahy, proposes an amendment numbered 3502.

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the 
amendment be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

       At the appropriate place insert the following:
       Sec. 1. Short Title.--Progress Reports to Congress on 
     United States Initiatives to Update the Architecture of the 
     International Monetary System
       Sec. 2. Reports Required.--Not later than July 15, 1999 and 
     July 15, 2000, the Secretary of the Treasury shall report to 
     the Chairmen and Ranking members of the Senate Committees on 
     Appropriations, Foreign Relations, and Banking, Housing and 
     Urban Affairs and House Committees on Appropriations and 
     Banking and Financial Services on the progress of efforts to 
     reform the architecture or the international monetary system. 
     The reports shall include a discussion of the substance of 
     the US position in consultations with other governments and 
     the degree of progress in achieving international acceptance 
     and implementation of such position with respect to the 
     following issues:
       (1) adapting the mission and capabilities of the 
     international monetary Fund to take better account of the 
     increased importance of cross-border capital flows in the 
     world economy and improving the coordination of its 
     responsibilities and activities with those of the 
     International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
       (2) advancing measures to prevent, and improve the 
     management of, international financial crises, including by--
       (a) integrating aspects of national bankruptcy principles 
     into the management of international financial crises where 
     feasible; and
       (b) changing investor expectations about official rescues, 
     thereby reducing moral hazard and systemic risk in 
     international financial markets--

     in order to help minimize the adjustment costs that the 
     resolution of financial crises may impose on the real 
     economy, in the form of disrupted patterns of trade, 
     employment, and progress in living standards, and reduce the 
     frequency and magnitude of claims on United States taxpayer 
     resources.
       (3) improving international economic policy cooperation, 
     including among the group of Seven countries, to take better 
     account of the importance of cross-border capital flows in 
     the determination of exchange rate relationships.
       (4) improving international cooperation in the supervision 
     and regulation of financial institutions and markets.
       (5) strengthening the financial sector in emerging 
     economies, including by improving the coordination of 
     financial sector liberalization with the establishment of 
     strong public and private institutions in the areas of 
     prudential supervision, accounting and disclosure 
     conventions, bankruptcy laws and administrative procedures, 
     and the collection and dissemination of economic and 
     financial statistics, including the maturity structure of 
     foreign indebtedness.
       (6) advocating that implementation of European Economic and 
     Monetary Union and the advent of the European Currency Unit, 
     or euro, proceed in a manner that is consistent with strong 
     global economic growth and stability in world financial 
     markets.

  Mr. LEAHY. I understand there is no objection to this amendment. The 
amendment is by Mr. Daschle, and joined by me.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, there is no objection on this side.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the amendment offered by 
the Senator from Vermont, on behalf of the distinguished Democratic 
leader? Hearing none, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 3502) was agreed to.
  Mr. LEAHY. I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.


                           Amendment No. 3503

  (Purpose: To urge international cooperation in recovering children 
      abducted in the United States and taken to other countries)

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending 
amendment be laid aside so that we can consider an amendment by the 
distinguished Senator from Arkansas, Mr. Bumpers.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LEAHY. I send the amendment to the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendment.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Vermont [Mr. Leahy], for Mr. Bumpers, 
     proposes an amendment numbered 3503.

  Mr. LEAHY. I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be 
dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

       At the appropriate place add the following:

     SEC.   . SENSE OF THE CONGRESS REGARDING INTERNATIONAL 
                   COOPERATION IN RECOVERING CHILDREN ABDUCTED IN 
                   THE UNITED STATES AND TAKEN TO OTHER COUNTRIES.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) Many children in the United States have been abducted 
     by family members who are foreign nationals and living in 
     foreign countries;
       (2) children who have been abducted by an estranged father 
     are very rarely returned, through legal remedies, from 
     countries that only recognize the custody rights of the 
     father;
       (3) there are at least 140 cases that need to be resolved 
     in which children have been abducted by family members and 
     taken to foreign countries;
       (4) although the Convention on the Civil Aspects of 
     International Child Abduction, done at the Hague on October 
     25, 1980, has made progress in aiding the return of abducted 
     children, the Convention does not address the criminal 
     aspects of child abduction, and there is a need to reach 
     agreements regrading child abduction with countries that are 
     not parties to the Convention; and
       (5) decisions on awarding custody of children should be 
     made in the children's best interest, and persons who violate 
     laws of the United States by abducting their children should 
     not be rewarded by being granted custody of those children.
       (b) Sense of the Congress.--It is the Sense of the Congress 
     that the United States Government should promote 
     international cooperation in working to resolve those cases 
     in which children in the United States are abducted by family 
     members who are foreign nationals and taken to foreign 
     countries, and in seeing that justice is served by holding 
     accountable the abductors for violations of criminal law.

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I understand there is no objection to this 
amendment.
  Mr. McCONNELL. There is no objection on this side, Mr. President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the amendment? Hearing 
none, the amendment is agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 3503) was agreed to.
  Mr. LEAHY. I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  Mr. McCONNELL addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kentucky.


                 Amendments Nos. 3504 and 3505 En Bloc

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I have two amendments by Senator 
Kempthorne that have been cleared on both sides. I ask unanimous 
consent that they now be considered. I send them to the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the pending amendment will 
be set aside to consider the pending amendments offered by the Senator 
from Kentucky. The clerk will report the amendments.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Kentucky [Mr. McConnell], for Mr. 
     Kempthorne, proposes amendments numbered 3504 and 3505 en 
     bloc.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of 
the amendments be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendments are as follows:


                           amendment no. 3504

 (Purpose: To require the purchase of American agriculture commodities 
    with funds made available through this bill and to require the 
  Secretary of the Treasury to report annually on federal efforts to 
  purchase American agriculture commodities with funds made available 
                           through this bill)

       On page 77, line 20, after the word ``all'' insert 
     ``agriculture commodities,''.
       On page 78, line 3, insert ``(d) The Secretary of the 
     Treasury shall report to Congress annually on the efforts of 
     the heads of each Federal agency and the U.S. directors of 
     international financial institutions (as referenced in 
     Section 514) in complying with this sense of Congress 
     resolution.''

[[Page S9730]]

                           amendment no. 3505

   (Purpose: To direct the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the 
     United States executive directors of international financial 
institutions to use the voice and vote of the United States to support 
           the purchase of American agricultural commodities)

       On page 49, insert ``(a)'' before ``The''.
       On page 50, line 11, add the following: ``(b) The Secretary 
     of the Treasury shall instruct the United States Executive 
     Directors of international financial institutions listed in 
     paragraph (a) of this section to use the voice and vote of 
     the United States to support the purchase of American 
     produced agricultural commodities with funds appropriated or 
     made available pursuant to this Act.''

  Mr. McCONNELL. I believe there is no objection to the two Kempthorne 
amendments.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the amendments? Without 
objection, the amendments are agreed to.
  The amendments (Nos. 3504 and 3505) were agreed to.
  Mr. LEAHY. I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I do not believe we have an amendment at 
the moment. We are still checking around. I urge Members if they have 
amendments to bring them to the floor because I have a feeling we are 
probably not that far away from third reading.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, moments ago, we adopted amendment No. 
3503 by the Senator from Arkansas, Senator Bumpers. I ask unanimous 
consent that Senator Hutchinson of Arkansas be added as a cosponsor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, has the Pastore rule expired?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Pastore rule will expire at 12:30.
  Mr. BYRD. I thank the Chair. I ask unanimous consent that I may speak 
out of order.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________