HOUSE VOTES TO REPEAL BAN ON U.S. AID TO REBELS FIGHTING ANGOLA GOVERNMENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000705930001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 2, 2011
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: July 11, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP
ARTICLE APPEARED 1
ON PAGE
11 July 1985
House Votes to Repeal Ban on U. S.
To Rebels Fighting Angola Government
By DAVID SHRIBMAN
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
WASHINGTON - The House, backing
away from what some lawmakers called
the "Vietnam syndrome," voted to repeal
a nine-year-old prohibition on U.S. aid to
rebels, fighting the leftist government of
Angola.
The action, which came on a 236-185
vote last night, represented the first time
the Democratic-controlled House voted to
repeal the amendment. The original meas-
ure had been gassed amid concerns about
'American mlita and Central Intelli-
gence Agency involvement in struggles I
emerging nations. The Senate, which re-
corded its objections to the amendment as
early as 1981, last month added to the State
Department authorization bill a measure
,to repeal the restriction.
The House vote came as the legislators
worked on a $12.6 billion foreign-aid autho-
rization bill. Final action is expected this
-week on the bill, which would restrict the
'administration's flexibility in Central
America and would make military and
economic assistance to Jordan contingent
on that nation's willingness to enter into
negotiations with Israel.
The 176 Republicans who voted to re-
peal the Clark amendment, named for for-
mer Sen. Dick Clark (D., Iowa), were
joined by 60 Democrats to forge what some
legislators viewed as an important sym-
bolic action. "It's time to trust the presi-
dent of the U.S.," said Rep. Robert Doman
(R., Calif.). Rep. Samuel Stratton (D.,
N.Y.), who sponsored the effort to repeal,
said, "Why is it that only in Angola can
American aid not be given?"
Repeal of the amendment would permit
the U.S. to provide aid to the National Un-
ion for the Total Independence of Angola,
known as UNITA. Under the leadership of
Jonas Savimbi, UNITA has waged a 10-
year struggle to topple the Cuban-sup-
ported Angola government. "It's time we
stood up for UNITA and black freedom
fighters, just as we have stood up for the
freedom fighters in Afghanistan," said
Rep. Mark Siljander (D., Mich.).
Democrats who opposed repeal argued
that the action symbolized what Rep. How-
ard Wolpe, the Michigan Democrat who
heads the Africa subcommittee, described
as "further evidence of America entering
into cooperation with the apartheid govern-
ment of South Africa." An American effort
to win the withdrawal of more than 30,000
Cuban troops from Angola and to secure
the independence of nearby Namibia was
stalled after South Africa mounted a raid
into Angola on May 21.
Republicans repeatedly have said that
the Reagan administration hasn't any cur-
rent plans to provide assistance to the
rebels, but have argued for repeal to re-
move restrictions on the president's op-
tions. The Clark amendment, said Rep.
William Broomfield (R., Mich.), "cripples
our ability to work within the diplomatic
arena."
Earlier, the House voted to allow the
president to withhold the annual U.S. con-
tribution of about $50 million to the United
Nations Fund for Population Activities if
he determines that China, a beneficiary of
the fund, is practicing coerced abortion
and sterilization or infanticide as part of a
population-control program. The action
came on a 289-130 vote.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/02 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000705930001-0