TRANSPORTATION LOANS Senator Inouye: What do you mean by the term "capitalization of transportation loans"? Mr. Purcell: The Intergovernmental Committee for Migration (ICM) provides tranportation services for almost all refugees coming to the United States. Since most refugees do not have the resources to finance the costs of their airfare, the United States provides capital to a Loan Fund maintained by ICM for the financing of airfare and related services performed by ICM. Refugees, however, are required to sign a promissory note for a set amount and to repay the cost of their transportation. The loans are collected by the voluntary resettlement agencies sponsoring the refugee. Most refugees are not able to begin repayment until they have found employment and have become self-sufficient. The percentage of repayments versus capitalization of funds was fairly low during recent years of relatively high refugee admissions, but have begun to increase substantially as the refugees who entered in 1980 and 1981 begin to repay the loans. RECEPTION AND PLACEMENT GRANTS Senator Inouye: Recent news reports have suggested that several voluntary agencies providing reception and placement services have built up bank accounts with grants from the U.S. Government. I would appreciate your clarification of this. Mr. Purcell: The voluntary agencies have made extraordinary humanitarian contributions during the years of assisting Indochinese and other refugees. Over 600,000 refugees from Indochina alone have been assisted during the past eight years. Agencies receive a single payment ($525 for most refugees) from the USG for resettlement services. This grant supplements the agencies' own resources, which vary from agency to agency, to help get the refugees started in their new communities. Some agencies temporarily accumulated funds during the period of large-scale refugee arrivals in 1979-81, a time when the agencies were also able to generate a large amount of private support for assisting refugees. The temporary accumulations of funds are being utilized for on-going programs for refugees with the concurrence of the State Department. SOUTHEAST ASIAN RELIEF ASSISTANCE Senator Inouye: Mr. Purcell, you are requesting $21.7 million for relief assistance to refugees in Southeast Asia. These number about 250,000 Kampuchean refugees on the Thai border and an additional 220,000 in UNHCR camps. What percentage of total assistance to these refugees does this $21.7 million represent? Would any other country qualify as a major donor of refugee assistance in Southeast Asia? Mr. Purcell: The number of Khmer refugees on the border is now estimated at approximately 210,000. The United States contribution 16-524 0-83-14 to refugee assistance in Southeast Asia equals about 30 percent of total requirements. The Japanese are also major contributors their 1982 contribution to the Khmer relief program exceeded our own contribution. The European Economic Community, the Australians, the Canadians, the Germans, the French, and the United Kingdom also contribute significant support. PLO USE OF SIBLIN TRAINING CENTER Senator Inouye: Last June, Israeli forces in Lebanon uncovered a cache of PLO weapons and explosives at UNRWA'S Siblin training center. What actions has UNRWA taken to ensure that such incidents are not repeated? Mr. Purcell: To ensure against the future abuse of UNRWA facilities, Commissioner-General Rydbeck has instituted a number of measures which include: 61 increasing the number of international field staff; instructing HQ and international field staff to make frequent, unannounced visits at irregular intervals to UNRWA installations, and; reaffirming Agency guidelines concerning adherence to UNRWA's regulations as an international organization and to the use of UNRWA facilities. A more detailed description of the actions taken by the Commissioner-General are attached to our March 25 letter to you on UNRWA. Senator Inouye: Have disciplinary actions been taken against UNRWA officials? Mr. Purcell: Yes. Disciplinary measures have been taken against UNRWA staff responsible for the abuses at the training center, including dismissal of the school's principal. Senator Inouye: Have U.S. officials accompanied UNRWA officials on unannounced visits to UNRWA installations? Mr. Purcell: Not yet, specifically. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Refugee Programs, Arthur E. Dewey and a member of his staff, however, did visit various sites of UNRWA operations in Jordan, Syria, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and Lebanon, especially including the Siblin training center, in January of this year. Mr. Dewey and his staff member in effect performed their own inspections along with senior UNRWA officials, and were given complete freedom to chose those sites they wished to visit and to inspect within those sites as they liked. We plan other trips to the area periodically in the future and will make it a point to accompany UNRWA officials on their unannounced visits to UNRWA installations. OFFICE OF COMBATING TERRORISM STATEMENT OF AMBASSADOR ROBERT SAYRE, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF COMBATING TERRORISM, DEPARTMENT OF STATE TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR COMBATING TERRORISM Senator KASTEN. Once more let me apologize for the delays this morning, but we had an unusual set of circumstances. The next witness is Ambassador Robert Sayre, the Director of the Office for Combating Terrorism. Mr. Ambassador. Ambassador SAYRE. Mr. Chairman, I will go through the prepared statement and simply underline the key points for you. Senator KASTEN. I am going to have to also remind you that the people in the back have a difficult time hearing. Ambassador SAYRE. We are requesting authority to begin a program of antiterrorism training and assistance for friendly foreign governments. To undertake this program we have requested an appropriation of $5 million for fiscal year 1984 and five new positions for the Department of State. Under this proposal we would offer grants and sell training assistance to civil and police authorities of foreign governments to enable them to respond more effectively to terrorist acts. This program will: PROGRAM AIMS Provide training courses in antiterrorism skills for friendly, developing countries subject to terrorist attacks; Provide limited amounts of appropriate antiterrorist equipment to complement specific training programs; Arrange training on a reimbursable basis and information exchange at U.S. facilities for officials of friendly, developed countries to enhance the sharing of antiterrorism expertise as part of the President's overall program to combat international terrorism. The objectives of this program are: To enhance the law enforcement antiterrorism skills of friendly countries; To strengthen our bilaterial ties with friendly governments by offering concrete assistance in this area of great mutual concern; To enhance cooperation in antiterrorism with the developed countries between their officials involved in combating terrorism and those in the U.S. Government; To increase respect for human rights by foreign civil authorities by exposing them to modern and humane methods of effective preventive antiterrorism techniques; To enhance the ability of foreign governments to protect U.S. overseas missions from terrorist attacks; To contribute to the safety of Americans traveling overseas by lessening the likelihood that they would be caught up in an act of international terrorism such as an aircraft hijacking. (207) We are ourselves taking some measures to deal with this problem unilaterally. For example, we have increased very substantially the security of the U.S. diplomatic missions abroad. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION International cooperation is also essential to an effective effort to combat terrorism. No one nation can do it alone. Our proposal to provide antiterrorism training and assistance is this sort of active cooperation. When terrorist incidents occur overseas, we look to the local government to discharge its responsibilities under international law to protect all persons within its boundaries. Many countries are relatively ill-equipped to deal with terrorism. To meet this need we have proposed this antiterrorism training program. A key element of it is the training which would be provided to key civil officials of interested governments. They would include senior police, civil aviation, immigration, and other officials responsible for urban and national civil administration and military officers if they are in such positions. We intend to provide this training at existing Federal institutions in the United States using the expertise of several domestic agencies. We plan to provide some equipment to complement specific training. For instance, passenger screening equipment for airports might be provided in connection with an airport security course, explosive ordnance disposal equipment in connection with a bomb disposal program. ANTITERRORISM ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES We would take into account the following factors before providing any antiterrorism assistance to a country: First, does it face a terrorist threat, actual or potential? Second, is it committed to participate in combating terrorism? Third, does it wish to cooperate bilaterally with the United States against terrorism? Fourth, is its human rights record compatible with U.S legislative criteria for the receipt of such U.S. Government assistance? On the countries, we intend to consult with the Congress on proposed participants prior to the implementation of the program. The program would be administered by the Department of State in a manner similar to training activities conducted in connection with the international narcotics control program. This administration is convinced that present day political terrorism poses a threat to us, to our friends, and to organized international society. We believe that an international effort is necessary to deal with this specific danger. Thank you. [The prepared statement follows:] PREPARED STATEMENT OF AMBASSADOR ROBERT M. SAYRE DIRECTOR OFFICE FOR COMBATTING TERRORISM Anti-Terrorism Training Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: I appreciate this opportunity to testify in behalf of one important element of the President's program to combat and deter international terrorism. Specifically, we are requesting authorization to begin a program of anti-terrorism training and assistance for friendly foreign governments. To undertake this program, we have requested 5 new positions for the Department of State and an appropriation of $5 million for fiscal year 1984. We first presented this program for congressional consideration last year. Hearings were held by the appropriate Committees and a number of thoughtful and useful suggestions and amendments were proposed. The legislation we are proposing this year is a combination of our original proposal plus virtually all of the Congressional amendments. These changes provide for more specific Congressional oversight and a tighter adhesion to the program's anti-terrorism theme. Under this proposal, we would offer grant and sell training assistance to civil and police authorities of foreign governments to enable them to respond more effectively to terrorists acts. Training and equipment would be offered in areas such as antiterrorist precautions, incident management, hostage and barricade negotiations, airport anti-hijacking security measures, bomb disposal, and dignitary and facility protection. The program will: - Provide training courses in anti-terrorism skills for friendly, developing countries subject to a terrorist threat; - Provide limited amounts of appropriate anti-terrorist equipment to complement specific training programs; - Arrange training and information exchange on a reimburseable basis at US facilities for officials of friendly, developed |