US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 48, December 2, 1991
Title: Africa and Democracy
Cohen
Source: Herman J. Cohen, Assistant Secretary for African
Affairs
Description: Excerpts from an address before the African-American
Institute, New York, New York
Date: Nov 8, 199111/8/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: Subsaharan Africa
Country: Tanzania, Zambia, Benin, Mozambique, Angola,
Zaire
Subject: Democratization, Development/Relief Aid
[TEXT]
Thank you very much, Ambassador Gambari [Nigerian Permanent
Representative to the United Nations], and good afternoon.
President Soglo [of Benin], Your Excellencies and honored guests, I
am very happy to be here for this very important conference, and I
would like to congratulate the African-American Institute for
putting on this conference with the very important theme of
democracy. It certainly is the most important debate about Africa
that is going on today, and I think--I am looking forward to the
results of this conference to help our own thinking in the making of
US policy. I also would like to pay tribute to the African-American
Institute for all the good work it is doing to bring Africans and
Americans together. It is a job that the government cannot do, or,
at least, it cannot do well. But the African-American Institute is
doing an outstanding job in that area.
..........I want to pay tribute also today to President Soglo: It is very
fitting that he is the honored guest at this conference. I know what
he did for Benin was done because he was interested in the welfare
of his people. But I believe history will show that his work in Benin
serves as a pioneer effort for the rest of Africa, especially with
the way the national conference was handled and, above all, the
spirit of national reconciliation which followed the elections and
the national conference. So I congratulate you, President Soglo, for
doing a great job for Africa.
..........But what about democracy, and what do we think about it?
There has been a lot of discussion as to why democracy is sweeping
Africa today. The East European example has been mentioned [as
well as] a number of other reasons. My reason is essentially that
Africa has had 30 years of experience with other models, and these
other models have not been adequate. We all know what they have
been. They have been the African socialist model, which was in
Tanzania and Zambia; you had the scientific socialist model which
was in Benin, Mozambique, and Angola; you had the one-party
democracy [of] which--I guess--Zaire is a good example; you have
the life president model. I would not name the country that has
that. I think what was common in all of these models was one very
seductive theme, and that theme was: "Our model promises
happiness. If the people turn over power to us and give us a
monopoly of power, we will give you in return guaranteed
happiness." This was very seductive, because the leaders of the day
had brought about independence from the colonial system, and they
had a great deal of credibility, and they themselves believed that
these models could, through effective governmental supervision,
bring about happiness. However, they did not--for the very
important reason that government monopoly of power by one group,
by one party, eventually becomes an end in itself, and the bringing
of happiness must become secondary.
..........It is impossible to bring about happiness through bureaucratic
operations. We know that [is the case] in many countries of the
world, because bureaucratic control of lives stifles the energies of
the people. Of course, it is very easy to live in an authoritarian
regime. I, myself, lived under an authoritarian regime for 2 years--
that was known as the US Army. I found life very easy in the US
Army. Every day I went to work, and I received my orders, and I
carried them out, and I did not have to think; I did not have to be
creative; I did not have to be worried. In 2 years, I became very
lazy because of all of that. I think the systems that most African
countries adopted in the 1960s essentially [were] that type of
system, where happiness will come, but you do not have to do
anything about it.
..........OK, now, why do I feel--or why does the US Government feel--
that democracy is the answer? We feel that it is the answer
because it is the one ideological model that does not promise
happiness. Why do we like democracy, then, if it does not promise
happiness? We like it because it is the only system that allows the
populations to release their own energy to do what they must do to
bring about prosperity and happiness. To do that, they must have a
minimum amount of government which will protect their interests,
which will help them but will not do things for them. That is why
in the one-party state you have very little investment, you have
very little entrepreneurship, because these are the governments
that do things for people. But where the government just helps,
where the government guides, where the government provides
facilitative services, the energies of the people are released and
are available to bring about the happiness that the people are
seeking.
..........Now, what is the essential element of democracy? We have
heard a lot of theories at this conference and other conferences
that I have attended. In my view, democracy is, above all, an
educational process. Participation of the population means that
they must participate. If there is no participation, then democracy
cannot succeed. I am afraid that just as the models of the 1960s
promised happiness, that people will say, "Once we have a free and
fair election and we have a government of our choice, then we will
automatically have happiness." This is the great danger of the
democratic process, because the free and fair election is only the
beginning, and it is not the end. That is why I say it must be an
educational process, and it must be a process which says to the
people:
You are now free to do what you have to do, to produce wealth, to
invest wealth in order to produce additional wealth, to form the
civic associations that you need for self-help, to form the
organizations that you need to put a check on government to make
sure that the government does not develop into a monopoly of power
and, therefore, become corrupt.
..........So it is an educational process where the people must learn
how to participate in a democracy so that they can bring about the
happiness that they seek.
..........What will the United States be doing about this to help? We
accept that, as we preach the idea of democracy, we have a
responsibility to provide assistance to African countries which
embark on a democratization process. We want to help. We think it
is very important that we do help. I think you will see two kinds of
assistance coming from the United States. One is that assistance
that is needed to start a democratic process: That is the assistance
to the development of free and fair elections and multi-party
systems. That is why we help the Carter Center. That is why we
help the International Foundation for Election Systems, because
they go out and provide the technical assistance to help bring about
the beginning of democracy. But I think you will find that we are
going to do more than that. Mainly from the USAID [US Agency for
International Development] system, you will be finding growing
amounts of assistance for what we call "governance." Governance,
in effect, is the entire process that will enable people to
participate and to fulfill their responsibilities to make democracy
work. It is the civic associations; it is the independent [judiciary];
it is the free press that will make democracy work and put a check
on government. And I think you will see more and more USAID and
the whole scope of US Government assistance aimed essentially at
the "governance" that is so important for the good working of
democracy.
..........So, my message on democracy is: There is no guarantee of
happiness, but we think African countries should embark on the
process, because, although there is no guarantee of happiness, we
sincerely believe it is the only way that African peoples can bring
about their own happiness in the long run. The United States will be
there to back you up, and you will see, in the coming years, that
those countries that embark on this process will be favored in our
foreign assistance programs, and those who do not will be losing
ground in our foreign assistance programs. If you call that
conditionality, that is fine; you can call it anything you want. But it
is important to us, and we think it is important to Africa.
..........So, good luck on the democratization process. We are behind
you. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 48, December 2, 1991
Title: US Concern About Events In Sierra Leone
Tutwiler
Source: Department Spokesman Margaret Tutwiler
Description: Washington, DC
Date: Nov 27, 199111/27/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: Subsaharan Africa
Country: Liberia
Subject: Regional/Civil Unrest, Military Affairs
[TEXT]
The US Government is deeply concerned over reports of renewed
incursions into Sierra Leone by the forces of Charles Taylor's
National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL). Such actions would be
directly contrary to the commitments contained in the peace
agreement reached at the Yamoussoukro IV summit. We call on all
parties to observe restraint and to respect scrupulously the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sierra Leone.
..........The Department of State urges all sides to proceed with
urgent implementation of the Yamoussoukro IV commitments, giving
priority attention to establishment of the planned buffer zone along
the frontier between Liberia and Sierra Leone. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 48, December 2, 1991
Title: Sub-Saharan Africa and US Policy
Date: Dec 2, 199112/2/91
Category: Policy Briefs (Gist)
Region: Subsaharan Africa
Country: Liberia, South Africa, Angola, Mozambique
Subject: State Department, Regional/Civil Unrest,
Trade/Economics, Human Rights, Democratization,
Environment
[TEXT]
The United States is committed to fostering democracies and
economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past two
years, significant progress has been made toward resolving major
regional political and economic problems. The civil wars in Angola
and Ethiopia have ended with US assistance. South Africa has taken
substantial steps toward post-apartheid democracy. There are
prospects for resolving the internal conflicts in Mozambique and
Liberia. Resolution of other problems remains a high US priority.
Resolution of Regional Conflicts
Angola and Mozambique.
Sixteen years of civil war
in Angola between the Popular Movement for the Liberation of
Angola (MPLA) and the National Union for the Total Independence of
Angola (UNITA) came to an end on May 31, 1991, with the signing of
the Angolan peace accords. The US played a key role in the
Portuguese-mediated negotiations that lead to the signing. The
accords provide for a multiparty system, new national armed
forces, and free and fair internationally monitored democratic
elections between September and November 1992.
..........As an observer on the Joint Political Military Commission,
which oversees the implementation of the settlement, the US is
committed to ensuring that all the provisions of the accords are
scrupulously observed. We have opened a liaison office in Luanda to
support these efforts. In addition, we are continuing our
humanitarian assistance to Angola and supporting national
reconciliation. We intend to establish diplomatic relations with the
Angolan Government that emerges from the free and fair elections.
..........US-Mozambican relations have expanded rapidly as the
Government of Mozambique has moved to establish greater
democracy and a more pro-Western orientation since 1986. We are
currently assisting national reconciliation and peace talks between
the government and the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO).
..........Horn of Africa.
The prospects for peace in
other areas are mixed. Although the civil war in Ethiopia has ended,
civil wars drag on in Somalia and Sudan. These conflicts generate
large numbers of refugees and exacerbate drought-induced hunger.
The United States is a major donor of food and medical assistance.
It also is prepared to contribute diplomatic resources to
peacemaking and internal reconciliation in the Horn.
..........Liberia.
The United States fully supports
regionally led efforts to bring about a peaceful settlement of the
Liberian conflict through a democratic electoral process. We have
extended modest assistance to the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS), in support of its monitoring group
(ECOMOG) in Liberia, which has maintained a general cease-fire,
enforced public order in the Monrovia area, facilitated humanitarian
relief deliveries, and made possible the installation of an interim
government. The US also has provided more than $130 million in
humanitarian relief to victims of civil strife in Liberia. Finally, we
have encouraged the Yamoussoukro peace process led by President
Houphouet-Boigny of Cote d'Ivoire, which has brought Liberian
leaders together in a series of summit meetings with West African
heads of state. The participants have agreed on the need for
disarmament of the contending factions, followed by free and fair
democratic elections in which the Liberian people will be able to
select their own government.
..........South Africa
. The South African Government
continues to take significant steps toward dismantling apartheid
and creating a non-racial society and government. These include the
release of black nationalist leader Nelson Mandela and other
political prisoners, the unbanning of the African National Congress
(ANC) and other key political organizations, the lifting of the 4-
year state of emergency, and the repeal of remaining apartheid
legislation. The government and the ANC also have agreed on moving
forward into multi-party negotiations on a new constitution.
Economic Reforms
State-controlled economies have stifled growth in many Sub-
Saharan African countries. Natural disasters, high population
growth, low commodity prices, and civil wars have compounded the
problem. Gross domestic product per capita fell during the 1980s
by 1.2% annually.
..........Structural Adjustment
. By 1991, many
African countries had accepted the need for economic reform and
support of the private sector, if sustainable long-term growth is to
be achieved. Although structural adjustment often entails short-
term economic sacrifice, it is the entrenched elites rather than the
poor who have the most to lose from political and economic
liberalization measures. More than 30 countries have structural
adjustment programs supported by the International Monetary Fund
or World Bank. It is increasingly evident that these programs lead
to better economic performance. When allocating assistance, the
US Agency for International Development (USAID) gives preference
to countries following a reform program. The common objectives
of structural adjustment programs are to:
..........-- Establish realistic exchange rates;
..........-- Eliminate government price controls;
..........-- Reduce government budget deficits;
..........-- Reform parastatal organizations; and
..........-- Achieve realistic interest rates.
..........Debt Relief.
The Sub-Saharan African
countries bear a heavy burden of foreign debt owed primarily to
official creditors (i.e., foreign governments and international
financial institutions rather than commercial banks). In 1990, total
external debt had reached about $161 billion, equivalent to 112% of
the region's gross national product and 352% of foreign exchange
earnings from exports.
..........To address this problem, the United States has forgiven some
$1.2 billion in African official debt to date, including $788 million
in USAID development loans to the poorest reforming African
countries and $416 million in African PL480 (food aid) debt under a
program authorized by the 1990 Farm Act. Other debts to the US of
the poorest, most heavily indebted reforming countries are eligible
for debt relief through generous rescheduling terms by the "Paris
Club" of official creditors.
Human Rights and Democratization
The global movement toward democracy is strongly felt in all
African countries, and there has been significant movement in
many, including South Africa. Both governments and citizens are
participating in these changes. The belief is spreading that respect
for fundamental rights and more responsive political systems are a
vital corollary of economic progress.
..........The United States supports these efforts toward democracy in
the belief that human rights cannot be secured in Africa without
political pluralism. The US encourages economic and political
pluralism in Africa by funding projects that promote constitutional
development, popular participation, good government, the rule of
law, and respect for human rights. The United States also attempts
to secure private funding for projects and encourage the European
Community to make such projects a priority on its foreign
assistance agenda.
Environment
The environment is a central US concern in its development
assistance strategy for Africa. For example, USAID's Plan for
Supporting Natural Resources Management in Sub-Saharan Africa
aims to strengthen the capacity of African countries to manage
natural resources. The United States supports the efforts of the
International Tropical Timber Organization to develop a plan for
sustainable forest management and is interested in negotiating a
global forestry agreement.
.......... Wildlife preservation is another important goal of US policy.
The US was an original party of the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) signed
in Washington in 1973. The convention remains the centerpiece of
US conservation policy abroad, and it has special relevance for
Africa.
..........The US takes a leading role in protecting the African elephant.
In 9 years, because of poaching, Africa's elephant population has
fallen from an estimated 1.3 million to 600,000. In October 1988,
Congress enacted the African Elephant Conservation Act,
establishing an African elephant conservation fund. In June 1989,
the Bush Administration banned the import of ivory. Moreover, in
October 1989, all CITES members agreed to halt all trade in ivory,
providing for its resumption in the future only under a secure
system for countries with a healthy and well-managed elephant
population. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 48, December 2, 1991
Title: Middle East Peace Process: US Invites Parties to Bilateral
Talks in Washington, DC
Tutwiler
Source: Department Spokesman Margaret Tutwiler
Description: Washington, DC
Date: Nov 22, 199111/22/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: MidEast/North Africa
Country: Israel, United States
[TEXT].
Today, after waiting 3 weeks for the parties directly involved in
the Middle East peace talks to work out among themselves the
question of venue for additional bilateral talks, we proposed that
the parties meet here in Washington on December 4 for the next
round.
..........It is important to give the parties the chance to work this out,
but it is even more important to resume the direct talks.
..........We want to make clear the view of the United States that,
over time, there is no reason to exclude holding negotiations in the
region.
..........Many successful talks have been held in the region in the past,
and a regional venue would allow close proximity for the
negotiators to consult with their respective political leaderships.
(###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 48, December 2, 1991
Title: The Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103
Fitzwater
Description: Text of statement released by the Office of the White
House Press Secretary, Washington, DC
Date: Nov 27, 199111/27/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Region: MidEast/North Africa, North America, Europe
Country: United States, France, United Kingdom, Libya
Subject: Terrorism
[TEXT].
US Statement Regarding the Bombing of Pan Am Flight
103
After the indictments were handed down on November 14, we
conveyed them to the Libyan regime. We have also consulted closely
with the Governments of France and the United Kingdom, and, in
concert with those two governments, we have the following two
declarations to present publicly today.
US-UK Joint Declaration
The British and American Governments today declare that the
Government of Libya must:
..........-- Surrender for trial all those charged with the crime and
accept responsibility for the actions of Libyan officials;
..........-- Disclose all it knows of this crime, including the names of
all those responsible and allow full access to all witnesses,
documents, and other material evidence, including all the remaining
timers; and
..........-- Pay appropriate compensation.
..........We expect Libya to comply promptly and in full.
US-UK-France Declaration On Terrorism
The three states reaffirm their complete condemnation of terrorism
in all its forms and denounce any complicity of states in terrorist
acts. The three states reaffirm their commitment to put an end to
terrorism.
..........They consider that the responsibility of states begins
whenever they take part directly in terrorist actions or indirectly
through harboring, training, providing facilities, arming, or
providing financial support or any form of protection, and that they
are responsible for their actions before individual
states and the United Nations.
..........In this connection, following the investigations carried out
into the bombings of Pan Am [Flight] 103 and UTA [Flight] 772, the
three states have presented specific demands to Libyan authorities
related to the judicial procedures that are underway. They require
that Libya comply with all these demands, and, in addition, that
Libya commit itself concretely and definitively to cease all forms
of terrorist action and all assistance to terrorist groups. Libya
must promptly, by concrete actions, prove its renunciation of
terrorism. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 48, December 2, 1991
Title: Driftnet Fishing: US, Japan Agree on Moratorium
Tutwiler
Source: Department Spokesman Margaret Tutwiler
Description: Washington, DC
Date: Nov 27, 199111/27/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Country: Japan, United States
Subject: Environment, Resource Management,
United Nations
[TEXT]
Today, the United States and Japan introduced a resolution in the
United Nations ending large-scale driftnet fishing on the high seas.
This is a clear victory for the ocean environment.
..........Consistent with the resolution, beginning January 1, 1992,
countries will reduce their fishing effort in large-scale, high-seas
driftnet fishing operations by 50%, to be achieved by June 30, 1992.
The global moratorium will be fully in effect by December 31, 1992.
..........The US commends the Government of Japan for its efforts to
end the use of this destructive fishing technique, notwithstanding
the difficulties this will create for the fishing communities
involved in high-seas driftnet fishing.
..........Data collected in 1990 indicated that over 41 million non-
target fish, sharks, sea birds, marine mammals and sea turtles
were killed in the Japanese squid driftnet fishery alone. The
cumulative and global effect of this impact on the living marine
environment justifies the imposition of the moratorium.
..........The UN General Assembly had adopted two previous
resolutions on large-scale, high-seas driftnet fishing in 1989 and
1990. In those resolutions, the world body noted that large-scale
driftnet fishing on the high seas can be a highly destructive and
wasteful fishing practice that threatens the conservation of living
marine resources.
..........The US calls on all those who fish with large-scale driftnets
on the high seas to support the global moratorium. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 48, December 2, 1991
Title: Focus on Central and Eastern Europe: A Periodic Update
Date: Dec 2, 199112/2/91
Category: Focus on Emerging Democracies
Region: E/C Europe
Country: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Albania, Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia (former), Hungary, Poland, Romania,
Yugoslavia (former)
Subject: Trade/Economics, Development/Relief Aid,
Cultural Exchange, International Law,
Democratization
[TEXT]
The Baltics
At an October 28 conference, Vice President Dan Quayle
congratulated Prime Ministers Savisaar of Estonia, Godmanis of
Latvia, and Vagnorius of Lithuania for their countries' self-
liberation and welcomed them "forever to the family of the
democracies." He cited US efforts to become partners with the
Baltics by offering aid, technical assistance, and most-favored-
nation trade status.
..........The Vice President noted that NATO is developing liaison
relationships with the new European democracies, and he urged the
Baltic leaders to embrace free markets as quickly as possible and
to study the US example during their American visit. He assured
them that US business and industry are ready to discuss doing
business with the Baltics.
..........During October, US Embassies began operating in Vilnius,
Tallinn, and Riga. On October 24, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
joined Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the
Soviet Union as associate members of the North Atlantic Assembly.
The Assembly is comprised of legislators from the 16 NATO
countries but is not a part of NATO. It provides a forum for
members to discuss common concerns and for new democracies like
the Baltics to gain experience in parliamentary procedures.
Developments in the President's Trade Enhancement Initiative
Newly revised agreements with Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland
under the Trade Enhancement Initiative could triple those countries'
1991 exports of textiles, cheese, and steel to the United States.
The revisions are a part of a US effort to contribute to the political
and economic transformation of Central and Eastern Europe by
offering increased trade and access to world markets.
..........The Bush Administration has announced that technical
assistance programs on export promotion, export credit and finance,
marketing and management, and standards issues are being prepared
for Central and Eastern Europe. US Customs Service advisers are
visiting Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Albania, and the Baltics to
establish or improve customs administration in those countries.
Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria will host seminars in
November to explain US anti-dumping and countervailing duty
policies and to offer technical assistance on the design and
implementation of anti-dumping laws in those countries.
..........The Commerce Department has developed a Regional Economic
Development Initiative (REDI) to promote new commercial ties
between the United States and Central and Eastern Europe. It will
create a data base, matching companies with counterparts to foster
trade and investment ties.
Training
Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC) has teamed with Coopers
and Lybrand, a New York financial institution, to sponsor three
members of Poland's Ministry of Finance who are now attending
Harvard Business School. The FSVC was created in 1990 to
coordinate US volunteers to help develop financial systems in the
new European democracies. Tim Frost, program director, welcomes
telephone inquiries at 212-455-2000.
..........Business schools at Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Northwestern, Stanford, and Wharton are planning a
program to train between 100 and 200 teachers of management and
economics from Central and Eastern Europe. The program results
from the White House Conference on Management Training and
Market Economics held in
February 1991.
CEELI Activities
The Central and East European Law Initiative (CEELI) of the
American Bar Association sent a delegation of constitutional and
human rights experts to Albania in October to work with its
constitutional drafting commission and to review new legislation.
The delegation brought back a set of Albanian commercial laws to
be reviewed by US legal experts.
..........In Czechoslovakia, CEELI conducted a third workshop on
judicial restructuring and criminal law reform, discussing the role
of the judge, criminal and civil procedures, and trial practice and
appeals. CEELI provides assistance in designing administration and
computerization for the newly established constitutional court.
..........For Bulgaria, CEELI is developing a pilot judicial training
program, and, in Budapest, it sponsored a Technical Legal
Assistance Workshop in cooperation with the Hungarian Lawyers
Association. It concentrated on administrative law reform and
addressed such issues as establishing legal standards.
..........In late November, both chambers of Romania's parliament
approved the draft constitution that CEELI helped the constitutional
drafting commission prepare. It emphasizes human rights issues,
including the status and treatment of minority groups and alien
residents, and embodies a multiparty system and a market economy.
.......... CEELI will send a judge to Romania in 1992 to advise
Bucharest's new magistrate school on matters of curriculum
development.
..........Law school deans from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania will
visit US law schools in early 1992.
Country by Country
Albania.
A group of four labor movement leaders, the first Albanians to be
USIA International Visitor Grantees, are touring the United States
under the sponsorship of the Free Trade Union Institute. A second
group of nine young leaders, including one
legislator, arrived on November 16 for 1 month of observing state
and local governments in Iowa, Nebraska, and California.
Bulgaria
In October elections, the Union of Democratic Forces
won 110 seats, the Bulgarian Socialist Party won 106, and the
Movement for Rights and Freedoms won 24. Almost 84% of the
eligible voters turned out. Three days before the elections, former
US Chief Justice Warren Burger appeared on Bulgarian television in
a program addressing the relevance of the US Constitution to
Bulgaria and the necessary conditions for freedom of the press.
..........On November 22, Bulgaria received most-favored-nation
status. As a result, reduced US import duties will allow Bulgaria to
step up exports to the US of wines, foodstuffs, and products of
ferrous metallurgy and light industry.
..........The Bulgarian-American Enterprise Fund, a $50-million, 3-
year US initiative to promote private sector development in
Bulgaria, went into effect on November 7. The fund will support
equity investments, loans, grants, training, and technical
assistance, particularly in Bulgarian agriculture. The US members
of the board of directors, to be joined by Bulgarian directors at a
later date, are Chairman Gary MacDougal, former chairman and CEO
of Mark Controls Corporation; Dr. Theodore Cooper, chairman of the
board and CEO of the Upjohn Company; William W. Erwin, board
member of the Farm Credit System Assistance Board, and former
Assistant Secretary of Agriculture; Edgar D. Jannotta, partner in the
investment banking firm of William Blair ∧ Company; and Marshall
Lee Miller, partner in the law firm of Baker ∧ Hostetler. Potential
investors should direct inquiries to Fund President Frank Bauer,
through Booz Allen ∧ Hamilton, 225 W. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL
60606-1228, 312-578-4537; FAX 312-578-4667.
..........ECOGLASNOST, a Bulgarian environmental organization, will
bring teachers to Sofia from other cities to see the USIS/USAID
exhibit "Environmental Action in America" and is videotaping the
exhibit for use in Bulgarian schools.
..........The University of South Carolina, under a $350,000 USAID
grant, will work with Bulgaria's Center for the Study of Democracy
to train professional staffs to assist democratically elected
mayors and other local government officials. They will concentrate
on personnel, budgeting and finance, and organizational management.
..........Under two $2.4-million partnerships in health care grants
announced by Vice President Quayle, Michigan State University's
College of Human Medicine to improve the management of
cardiovascular disease in conjunction with Bulgaria's Second
National Center for that medical specialty; and the Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia will work with the department of
pediatrics at Bulgaria's Medical Academy to reduce traumatic
injuries among Bulgarian children.
Czechoslovakia.
Czechoslovakia has qualified according to Jackson-Vanik criteria in
US trade law for most-favored-nation status. Last April, it was
admitted to the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) in the
category of "developing countries." In September, the US Trade
Representative conducted seminars in Prague and Bratislava to
explain to Czechoslovak exporters and government officials how the
GSP can work most effectively for them.
..........During President Vaclav Havel's October 1991 visit to
Washington, DC, officials signed a bilateral investment treaty
containing assurance of expatriation of profits for US investors.
..........A new Scientific and Technical Cooperation Agreement
creates a framework for exchanges between US and Czechoslovak
scientists in the fields of energy, environment, health sciences, and
agricultural research.
..........During the first 4 hours after a new USIS library opened on
October 1 in Bratislava, 92 people became members. In Prague, a
special library for Czech and Slovak parliamentarians has installed
research hardware under the sponsorship of the US House of
Representatives task force on developing parliamentary institutions
in East European countries.
Hungary
Hungary's Ministry of International Economic
Relations has established an Investment and Trade Promotion office
to help foreign companies find trade partners. It offers to
distribute business inquiries in its domestic publication, Business
HITs. Interested business people should send inquiries to HIT
Investcenter-Tradeinform, H-1051 Budapest V., Dorottya u. 4, H-
1364.Bp, P.O.B. 222.
..........Governors Waihee of Hawaii, Finney of Kansas, and Sinner of
North Dakota visited Budapest in October to plan state assistance in
such areas as tourism, agricultural research, and health services.
..........Hungary will be one of the first countries to benefit from the
$35-million Housing Investment Guarantee Program announced by
President Bush in September. Other new US assistance includes:
..........-- A $10-million USAID grant to help small and medium-sized
Hungarian businesses increase energy efficiency;
..........-- Program to examine the feasibility of linking Hungary's
natural gas pipeline network to Austria and Czechoslovakia to
provide alternative sources of natural gas;
..........-- Treasury Department visit by financial advisers to help
banking reform;
..........-- US Trade and Development Program to assist in developing
the Budapest Commodities Exchange;
..........-- A $2.5-million USAID grant to support a 3-year
partnership in pediatric medicine between the University of Kansas
and the Semmelweiss Medical University and National Institute of
Neurosurgery in Budapest;
..........-- Long-term US legislative adviser to the Hungarian
parliament;
..........-- Assistance for Hungarian social security planning;
..........-- Additional scholarships for Hungarian students; and
..........-- Telecommunications study for Hungary's electricity
network.
..........The Hungarian-American Enterprise Fund continues to promote
Hungary's private sector through its $65-million fund for equity
investments, loans, and technical assistance. Further information
is available from Alexander C. Tomlinson, 1620 Eye St., NW,
Washington, DC, 20006, (202) 467-5444.
..........A library designed and stocked by the Congressional Research
Service for Hungary's parliament opened recently.
..........The People's Light and Theatre Company of Pennsylvania
performed a uniquely American version of the Greek play Achilles in
Budapest and Debrecen during a 2-week visit sponsored by the Fund
for US Artists at International Festivals. In return, Hungarian
theater professionals will visit US theaters to study technical
production facilities.
Poland
Polish university rectors visiting the United States
expressed interest in curriculum reform, expanding vocational and
adult education courses, and obtaining educational TV and VCRs for
teaching aids.
..........Poet William Stafford visited five cities during a 2-week
program in Poland, during which he discussed the role of the poet as
transmitter and protector of values and the poet's moral
responsibility to address political and social issues.
..........The Polish-American Enterprise Fund, a non-profit equity pool
established by the US Government to promote investment in private
sector ventures in Poland, has announced its American board
members: President Robert G. Faris; John P. Birkelund, chairman of
Dillon Read ∧ Co.; Nicholas A. Rey, managing director of Bear,
Stearns ∧ Co.; the Honorable Zbigniew Brzezinski, counselor of the
Center for Strategic ∧ International Studies; Charles M. Harper,
chairman and CEO of ConAgra, Inc.; and Lane Kirkland, president
AFL-CIO. Mr. Faris receives inquiries at the offices of the fund at
535 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022, (212) 339-8330.
Romania.
Romania received associate member status in the
European Community through trade negotiations on October 21-25.
..........Romanian officials from the Ministry of Communications and
the State Radio and Television Service are developing Romania's
first legislation governing audio-visual technology.
Yugoslavia.
In response to the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC) call for humanitarian assistance to war refugees
in Yugoslavia, the United States has contributed $1 million. The
funds will provide emergency medical assistance, food, personal
hygiene items, and educational material. (###)
US Department of State Dispatch,
Vol 2, No 48, December 2, 1991
Title: Access Given to Additional Foreign Correspondents
Tutwiler
Description: Statement released by the Office of the Assistant
Secretary/Spokesman, Washington, DC
Date: Nov 22, 199111/22/91
Category: Speeches, Testimony, Statements
Effective immediately, correspondents from the Soviet Union,
Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania may enter the
press areas of the State Department on the same basis as their
colleagues from the United States and other countries.
..........This means that those Soviet, Bulgarian, Romanian, Estonian,
Latvian, and Lithuanian journalists who wish, on a regular basis, to
attend the daily briefing or visit the Press Office can apply for a
building pass. Soviet, Bulgarian, Romanian, Estonian, Latvian, and
Lithuanian journalists who enter on an infrequent basis will be able
to come to the press areas of the building without escort.
..........This decision has been made in light of the steps toward
democratic reform which have been taken in these countries. All
correspondents who wish to avail themselves of this opportunity
should contact the State Department Press Office on or after
Monday, November 25. As you know, we have already made these
arrangements for correspondents from Hungary, Poland,
Czechoslovakia, and the former East Germany. (###)