*EPF308 04/30/2003
Text: 2004 Foreign Affairs Budget Targets Terrorism, Powell Says
(Includes funds that would "redefine" foreign aid, he testifies) (3740)

The Bush administration's $28,500 million spending request for foreign operations in the fiscal year beginning October 1 includes $4,700 million to fight global terrorism, Secretary of State Colin Powell says.

Testifying April 30 before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, Powell said the proposed budget includes more than $2,000 million to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis and $1,300 million toward the proposed Millennium Challenge Account (MCA).

The foreign operations budget covers the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other foreign affairs agencies.

The Senate and the House of Representatives will consider the proposal in approving its own budget and in passing the 13 spending bills that follow. The president can sign or veto the bills.

The MCA would "redefine" foreign aid by providing funds to countries that "encourage economic freedom, root out corruption and respect the rights of their people," Powell quoted President Bush as saying. The MCA, proposed by President Bush in 2002, would supplement humanitarian assistance and development aid programs administered by USAID, Powell said. Congress must agree to authorize the MCA and send an authorization bill to the president for signature.

The $4,700 million in anti-terrorist funds would help "frontline states" strengthen their economies, internal counter-terrorism capabilities and border controls, he said. The amount includes $657 million for Afghanistan, $460 million for Jordan, $395 million for Pakistan, $255 million for Turkey, $136 million for Indonesia and $87 million for the Philippines.

The administration is requesting $1,190 million for a flexible emergency food aid fund that would respond to food crises case by case, Powell said.

The budget request includes a 15 percent increase over current spending for the Central Asian countries of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Powell said. The funds would go for civil society development, small business promotion, conflict reduction and economic reform.

The request includes $731 million to fight drugs in the Andean region, $463 million of it for Colombia, he said.

The foreign operations budget also would provide $145 million for a new U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative to expand educational and economic opportunities, empower women, and strengthen civil society and the rule of law, Powell said.

During questioning from senators, the secretary said he believes the United States will find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. He added that there will not be a "premature pullout from Iraq" but that other coalition members may begin contributing more forces to substitute for U.S. troops.

Powell said the United States is taking a multilateral approach to talks with North Korea and will not "be rushed" by that country to resolve the nuclear weapons issue.

He said he would "look again" at the administration's request for aid to Russia after Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, Republican chairman of the full Appropriations Committee, warned that cuts of that size would hurt mostly rural parts of the country.

The administration remains committed to signing a U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement, Powell added.

Responding to a comment from Senator Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, Powell said he would press for making reconstruction projects in Iraq accessible to persons with disabilities. Harkin also urged the United States to be "heavily involved" in drafting a United Nations convention on persons with disabilities in June.

(Note: In the following text, "billion" equal 1,000 million.)

Following is the text of Powell's prepared remarks:

(begin text)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
April 30, 2003

(As Prepared)

SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN L. POWELL
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FOREIGN OPERATIONS

April 30, 2003

Mr. Chairman, members of the subcommittee, I am pleased to appear before you to testify in support of the President's International Affairs Budget for Fiscal Year [FY] 2004. Funding requested for FY 2004 for the Department of State, USAID, and other foreign affairs agencies is $28.5 billion.

The President's Budget will allow the United States to:

-- Target security and economic assistance to sustain key countries supporting us in the war on terrorism and helping us to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction;

-- Launch the Millennium Challenge Account -- a new partnership generating support to countries that rule justly, invest in their people, and encourage economic freedom;

-- Strengthen the U.S. and global commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS and alleviating humanitarian hardships;

-- Combat illegal drugs in the Andean Region of South America, as well as bolster democracy in one of that region's most important countries, Colombia; and

-- Reinforce America's world-class diplomatic force, focusing on the people, places, and tools needed to promote our foreign policies around the world.

I am particularly proud of the last bullet, Mr. Chairman, because for the past two years I have concentrated on each of my jobs -- primary foreign policy advisor to the President and Chief Executive Officer of the State Department.

I know this subcommittee's specific oversight responsibilities lie in the area of Foreign Operations, but I also know that you are all members of the larger Appropriations Committee. In that capacity, I ask for your strong support for funding for my CEO [chief executive officer] initiatives. And I would like to highlight for you three of the most important of those initiatives.

The CEO Responsibilities: Taking Care of Operations

First, we have been reinforcing our diplomatic force for two years and we will continue in FY 2004. We will hire 399 more professionals to help the President carry out the nation's foreign policy. This hiring will bring us to the 1,100-plus new foreign and civil service officers we set out to hire over the first three years to bring the Department's personnel back in line with its diplomatic workload. Moreover, completion of these hires will allow us the flexibility to train and educate all of our officers as they should be trained and educated. So I am proud of that accomplishment and want to thank you for helping me bring it about.

Second, I promised to bring state-of-the-art communications capability to the Department -- because people who can't communicate rapidly and effectively in today's globalizing world can't carry out our foreign policy. We are approaching our goal in that regard as well. In both unclassified and classified communications capability, including desk-top access to the Internet for every man and woman at State, we will be there at the end of 2003. The budget before you will sustain these gains and continue our information technology modernization effort.

Finally, with respect to my CEO role, I wanted to sweep the slate clean and completely revamp the way we construct our embassies and other overseas buildings, as well as improve the way we secure our men and women who occupy them. As you well know, that last task is a long-term, almost never-ending one, particularly in this time of heightened terrorist activities. But we are well on the way to implementing both the construction and the security tasks in a better way, in a less expensive way, and in a way that subsequent CEOs can continue and improve on.

Mr. Chairman, the President's FY 2004 discretionary request for the Department of State and Related Agencies is $8.497 billion. As you review this funding in the larger committee, I ask for your support for these dollars.

Let me turn now to your primary oversight responsibility, Foreign Operations.

The Foreign Policy Advisor Responsibilities: Funding America's Diplomacy Around the World

The FY 2004 budget proposes several initiatives to advance U.S. national security interests and preserve American leadership. The FY 2004 Foreign Operations budget that funds programs for the Department State, USAID and other foreign affairs agencies is $18.8 billion.

Today, our number one priority is to fight and win the global war on terrorism. The budget furthers this goal by providing economic, military, and democracy assistance to key foreign partners and allies, including $4.7 billion to countries that have joined us in the war on terrorism.

The budget also promotes international peace and prosperity by launching the most innovative approach to U.S. foreign assistance in more than forty years. The new Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), an independent government corporation funded at $1.3 billion, will redefine "aid." As President Bush told African leaders meeting in Mauritius recently, this aid will go to "nations that encourage economic freedom, root out corruption, and respect the rights of their people."

Moreover, this budget offers hope and a helping hand to countries facing health catastrophes, poverty and despair, and humanitarian disasters. It provides $1.345 billion to combat the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, TB [tuberculosis], and Malaria; more than $1 billion to meet the needs of refugees and internally displaced peoples; and $200 million in emergency food assistance to support dire famine needs. In addition, the budget includes a new $100 million proposal to enable swift responses to complex foreign crises, including support for peace and humanitarian intervention operations to prevent or respond to foreign territorial disputes, armed ethnic and civil conflicts that pose threats to regional and international peace, and acts of ethnic cleansing, mass killing, or genocide.

Mr. Chairman, let me give you some details.

The U.S. is successfully prosecuting the global war on terrorism on a number of fronts. We are providing extensive assistance to states on the front lines of the anti-terror struggle. Working with our international partners bilaterally and through multilateral organizations, we have frozen more than $110 million in terrorist assets, launched new initiatives to secure global networks of commerce and communication, and significantly increased the cooperation of our law enforcement and intelligence communities. Afghanistan is no longer a haven for al-Qaeda. We are now working with the Afghan Authority, other governments, international organizations, and NGOs to rebuild Afghanistan. Around the world we are combating the unholy alliance of drug traffickers and terrorists who threaten the internal stability of countries. We are leading the international effort to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of those who would do harm to us and others. At the same time, we are rejuvenating and expanding our public diplomacy efforts worldwide.

Assistance to Frontline States

The FY 2004 International Affairs budget provides approximately $4.7 billion in assistance to the Frontline States, which have joined with us in the war on terrorism. This funding will provide crucial assistance to enable these countries to strengthen their economies, internal counter-terrorism capabilities and border controls.

Of this amount, the President's Budget provides $657 million for Afghanistan, $460 million for Jordan, $395 million for Pakistan, $255 million for Turkey, $136 million for Indonesia, and $87 million for the Philippines. In Afghanistan, the funding will be used to fulfill our commitment to rebuild Afghanistan's road network; establish security through a national military and national police force, including counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics components; establish broad-based and accountable governance through democratic institutions and an active civil society; ensure a peace dividend for the Afghan people through economic reconstruction; and provide humanitarian assistance to sustain returning refugees and displaced persons. United States assistance will continue to be coordinated with the Afghan government, the United Nations, and other international donors.

The State Department's Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA) program will continue to provide frontline states a full complement of training courses, such as a course on how to conduct a post-terrorist attack investigation or how to respond to a WMD [weapons of mass destruction] event. The budget will also fund additional equipment grants to sustain the skills and capabilities acquired in the ATA courses. It will support as well in-country training programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Indonesia.

Central Asia and Freedom Support Act Nations

In FY 2004, over $157 million in Freedom Support Act (FSA) funding will go to assistance programs in the Central Asian states. The FY 2004 budget continues to focus FSA funds to programs in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, recognizing that Central Asia is of strategic importance to U.S. foreign policy objectives. The FY 2004 assistance level for Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is 15 percent above 2003. These funds will support civil society development, small business promotion, conflict reduction, and economic reform in the region. These efforts are designed to promote economic development and strengthen the rule of law in order to reduce the appeal of extremist movements and stem the flow of illegal drugs that finance terrorist activities.

Funding levels and country distributions for the FSA nations reflect shifting priorities in the region. For example, after more than 10 years of high levels of assistance, it is time to begin the process of graduating countries in this region from economic assistance, as we have done with countries in Eastern Europe that have made sufficient progress in the transition to market-based democracies. U.S. economic assistance to Russia and Ukraine will begin phasing down in FY 2004, a decrease of 32 percent from 2003, moving these countries towards graduation.

Combating Illegal Drugs and Stemming Terrorism

The President's request for $731 million for the Andean Counterdrug Initiative includes $463 million for Colombia. An additional $110 million in military assistance to Colombia will support Colombian President Uribe's unified campaign against terrorists and the drug trade that fuels their activities. The aim is to secure democracy, extend security, and restore economic prosperity to Colombia and prevent the narco-terrorists from spreading instability to the broader Andean region. Critical components of this effort include resumption of the Airbridge Denial program to stop internal and cross-border aerial trafficking in illicit drugs, stepped up eradication and alternative development efforts, and technical assistance to strengthen Colombia's police and judicial institutions.

Halting Access of Rogue States and Terrorists to Weapons of Mass Destruction

Decreasing the threats posed by terrorist groups, rogue states, and other non-state actors requires halting the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and related technology. To achieve this goal, we must strengthen partnerships with countries that share our views in dealing with the threat of terrorism and resolving regional conflicts.

The FY 2004 budget requests $35 million for the Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund (NDF), more than double the FY 2003 request, increases funding for overseas Export Controls and Border Security (EXBS) to $40 million, and supports additional funding for Science Centers and Bio-Chem Redirection Programs.

Funding increases requested for the NDF and EXBS programs seek to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of terrorist groups or states by preventing their movement across borders and destroying or safeguarding known quantities of weapons or source material. The Science Centers and Bio-Chem Redirection programs support the same goals by engaging former Soviet weapons scientists and engineers in peaceful scientific activities, providing them an alternative to marketing their skills to states or groups of concern.

Millennium Challenge Account

The FY 2004 Budget request of $1.3 billion for the new Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) as a government corporation fulfills the President's March 2002 pledge to create a new bilateral assistance program, markedly different from existing models. This budget is a huge step towards the President's commitment of $5 billion in annual funding for the MCA by 2006, a 50 percent increase in core development assistance.

The MCA supplements U.S. commitments to humanitarian assistance and existing development aid programs funded and implemented by USAID. It will assist developing countries that make sound policy decisions and demonstrate solid performance on economic growth and reducing poverty.

-- MCA funds will go only to selected developing countries that demonstrate a commitment to sound policies -- based on clear, concrete and objective criteria. To become eligible for MCA resources, countries must demonstrate their commitment to economic opportunity, investing in people, and good governance.

-- Resources will be available through agreements with recipient countries that specify a limited number of clear measurable goals, activities, and benchmarks, and financial accountability standards.

The MCA will be administered by a new government corporation designed to support innovative strategies and to ensure accountability for measurable results. The corporation will be supervised by a Board of Directors composed of Cabinet level officials and chaired by the Secretary of State. Personnel will be drawn from a variety of government agencies and non-government institutions and serve limited-term appointments.

In FY 2004, countries eligible to borrow from the International Development Association (IDA), and which have per capita incomes below $1,435, (the historical IDA cutoff) will be considered. In 2005, all countries with incomes below $1,435 will be considered. In 2006, all countries with incomes up to $2,975 (the current World Bank cutoff for lower middle income countries) will be eligible.

The selection process will use 16 indicators to assess national performance -- these indicators being relative to governing justly, investing in people, and encouraging economic freedom. These indicators were chosen because of the quality and objectivity of their data, country coverage, public availability, and correlation with growth and poverty reduction. The results of a review of the indicators will be used by the MCA Board of Directors to make a final recommendation to the President on a list of MCA countries.

The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative

The President's Budget includes $145 million for the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). This initiative gives us a framework and funding for working with the Arab world to expand educational and economic opportunities, empower women, and strengthen civil society and the rule of law. The peoples and governments of the Middle East face daunting human challenges. Their economies are stagnant and unable to provide jobs for millions of young people entering the workplace each year. Too many of their governments appear closed and unresponsive to the needs of their citizens. And their schools are not equipping students to succeed in today's globalizing world. With the programs of the MEPI, we will work with Arab governments, groups, and individuals to bridge the jobs gap with economic reform, business investment, and private sector development; close the freedom gap with projects to strengthen civil society, expand political participation, and lift the voices of women; and bridge the knowledge gap with better schools and more opportunities for higher education. The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative is an investment in a more stable, peaceful, prosperous, and democratic Arab world.

The timing now is critical. As we work to establish a peaceful and prosperous Iraq, and as we commit our energy and resources to realizing President Bush's vision of two states -- Israel and Palestine -- living side by side, we must also work to ensure that the Middle East as a region does not fall farther and farther behind with respect to economic and political freedom. We need these MEPI dollars to assist us in laying the broader foundation for a better tomorrow for all.

Fighting the Global AIDS Pandemic

The FY 2004 budget continues the Administration's commitment to combat HIV/AIDS and to help bring care and treatment to infected people overseas. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has killed 23 million of the 63 million people it has infected to date and left 14 million orphans worldwide. President Bush has made fighting this pandemic a priority of U.S. foreign policy.

The President believes the global community can -- and must -- do more to halt the advance of the pandemic, and that the United States should lead by example. Thus, the President's FY 2004 budget request signals a further, massive increase in resources to combat the HIV/AIDs pandemic. As described in the State of the Union, the President is committing to provide a total of $15 billion over the next five years to turn the tide in the war on HIV/AIDs, beginning with over $2 billion in the FY 2004 budget request and rising thereafter. These funds will be targeted on the hardest hit countries, especially in Africa and the Caribbean with the objective of achieving dramatic on-the-ground results. This new dramatic commitment is reflected in the Administration's over $2 billion FY 2004 budget request, which includes:

-- State Department -- $450 million;

-- USAID -- $895 million, including $100 million for the Global Fund, $150 million for the International Mother and Child HIV Prevention; and $105 million for TB and Malaria; and

-- HHS/CDC/NIH [Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control/National Institutes of Health] -- $695 million, including $100 million for the Global Fund, $150 million for the International Mother and Child HIV Prevention, and $15 million for TB and Malaria.

In order to ensure accountability for results, the President has asked me to establish at State a new Special Coordinator for International HIV/AIDS Assistance. The Special Coordinator will work for me and be responsible for coordinating all international HIV/AIDS programs and efforts of the agencies that implement them.

Hunger and Famine

Historically the United States has been the largest donor of assistance for victims of protracted and emergency food crises. Congress provided $1.44 billion in USAID-administered food aid for FY 2003. Our FY 2004 food aid request of $1.19 billion will be complemented with a Famine Fund, as I mentioned before, which is a $200 million fund with flexible authorities to provide emergency food, grants or support to meet dire needs on a case-by-case basis.

Supplemental Funding

As you are aware, Mr. Chairman, on April 16 President Bush signed the Supplemental legislation in which the Congress granted the President over $79 billion, with almost $8.2 billion of that for International Affairs. I want to thank you and our other oversight committees as well as the entire Congress for being so responsive. We have a huge challenge facing us in Iraq and these dollars will go a long way toward helping us meet that challenge successfully.

Summary

Mr. Chairman, members of the subcommittee, to advance America's interests around the world we need the dollars in the President's Budget for FY 2004 and his supplemental request for this fiscal year. We need the dollars under both of my hats -- CEO and principal foreign policy advisor. The times we live in are troubled to be sure, but I believe there is every bit as much opportunity in the days ahead as there is danger. American leadership is essential to dealing with both the danger and the opportunity. With regard to the Department of State, the President's FY 2004 budget is crucial to the exercise of that leadership.

Thank you and I will be pleased to answer your questions.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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