The House of Representatives approved a wide-ranging foreign relations bill that contains several provisions authored by Congressman Chris Smith, Vice Chairman of the House Committee on International Relations. The bill passed the House this afternoon by a vote of 382-42.

    Among the provisions authored by Smith is his Vietnam Human Rights Act, which will prohibit any increase in U.S. non-humanitarian aid to Vietnam unless Hanoi makes significant progress toward releasing political and religious prisoners and respecting the human rights of ethnic minorities, among other things. The language, authored by Smith as a stand-alone bill and then incorporated into the larger foreign authorization legislation, will also authorize funds to overcome Hanoi’s jamming of Radio Free Asia.

    Other provisions authored by Smith include an investigation of anti-Semitic rhetoric and glorification of Palestinian suicide bombers found in textbooks given to children in Palestinian refugee camps, as well as a provision to enable the U.S. government to provide additional assistance to real refugees while maintaining national security standards.

    Smith also successfully offered an amendment on the House floor to prohibit U.S. taxpayer dollars from going to organizations that perform or promote abortions under the guise of family planning.

    “The FY 04 Foreign Relations Authorization bill is a strong pronouncement of our nation’s human rights goals and our commitment to helping those throughout the world who suffer from oppression and tyranny,” Smith said.  “Human rights must be a central ideal and goal of our foreign policy, especially if we expect other nations to grant such fundamental rights to their own citizens.”

    “I am particularly pleased that HR 1950 includes my Vietnamese Human Rights Act, which will ensure the U.S. government does not engage in activity to benefit the People’s Republic of Vietnam as long as that nation continues to abuse and maltreat its citizens,” Smith added.

    Following are brief summaries of the other policy provisions in the bill authored by Smith:

• The addition of $310.6 million over two years as well as significant policy changes to help the U.S. provide additional humanitarian relief to refugees – people who have fled their homes to escape persecution, torture, and death threats – while ensuring all candidates are properly screened to meet stringent qualification and security standards.
  
• An investigation of several instances of anti-Semitic rhetoric and the glorification of terrorist groups and terror attacks that have been found in textbooks and other education materials provided to Palestinian refugees by a United Nations relief agency (UNRWA).
  
• A doubling, to $1 million, of the scholarship funds available to help students of the new nation of East Timor attend college in the United States. East Timor’s university was destroyed by the Indonesian military in 1999. The additional funds will increase the number of students from five or six to 12 to 15.
  
• Language that calls upon Indonesia to cooperate with the effort to bring to justice perpetrators of war crimes in East Timor. Also authorization of $50 million in aid to East Timor over the next two years.
  
• Increasing by $1 million ($6 million total) the FY 04 U.S. contribution to the UN Voluntary Fund for the Victims of Torture. Authorizes funding for FY 05 at $7 million and funding for FY 06 at $8 million.
  
• An amendment to prohibit U.S. funds from going to any organizations that perform or promote abortions, such as the United Nations Population Fund, which has given support to China’s policy of forced abortion and forced sterilization.
  
• Portions of the Belarus Democracy Act –  which will increase U.S. support for efforts to promote democracy and human rights by aiding activities promoted by non-governmental organizations, independent media, and other means – was included in the legislation.  It also calls for free and fair elections unlike those held in 2000 and 2001 that were tainted and fixed by the current dictatorial regime of Alexander Lukashenka.
  
• Language that calls for an increased U.S. role in trying to peacefully resolve the 16-year conflict in Northern Uganda that has resulted in the deaths of nearly 25,000 people, about half of whom were civilians.