Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 13, 1994 TAG: 9411180029
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS|
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The new Congress is likely to help President Clinton advance his free-trade agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean. But lawmakers will almost certainly refocus attention on the drug war and provide trouble for nominees to Latin posts who are perceived as too liberal, they said.
``You're going to see a rush to the right,'' said a Republican staffer.
Overall, however, U.S. interest in the region could well flag as Clinton begins to concentrate on his re-election possibilities in 1996 and Republicans try to thwart him.
``The biggest fear is really neglect,'' said Peter Hakim, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, an influential Washington forum for leaders from throughout the hemisphere.
Central to the new scenario are expectations that Jesse Helms of North Carolina will replace Claiborne Pell, D-R.I., as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Helms is a staunch anti-communist who opposed the Panama Canal treaties, was one of the most ardent supporters of the Nicaraguan Contras, and has turned his office into a clearinghouse for claims by U.S. citizens whose property was confiscated by governments in the region.
As the ranking minority member on the Foreign Relations Committee, Helms tied up millions in U.S. aid to the government of Nicaraguan President Violeta Chamorro, saying she was too cozy with her Sandinista predecessors.
Helms focused much of his attention on a State Department he considers too liberal and derailed the nominations of several Bush and Clinton nominees to ambassadorships.
``One of the things [Clinton] can expect under Chairman Helms is real oversight, which has been completely lacking for two years,'' said a staffer familiar with Helms' views.
Another key player on Latin issues in the Senate will be Paul Coverdell, R-Ga., who is in line to replace Christopher Dodd of Connecticut as chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Affairs. Coverdell, widely viewed as a moderate, often concurs with Dodd and spoke favorably of U.S. involvement in Haiti this year.
On the House side, Benjamin A. Gilman, R-N.Y., is expected to take over from Lee H. Hamilton as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Christopher H. Smith deposes a fellow New Jerseyan, Robert G. Torricelli, as chairman of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee.
While many of the new chairmen have yet to stake out positions, the following is an early appraisal of what might happen in U.S. policy toward the region:
Haiti: Aristide is likely to face scrutiny from Republicans skeptical of his ideology and stability. Helms, a critic of the leftist priest-president, publicized an unflattering and erroneous CIA profile of Aristide last year.
Many Republicans criticized Clinton's decision to use U.S. troops to restore democracy in Haiti and are likely to try to speed the timetable for their withdrawal and to question $500 million in U.S. aid pledged to support the new government.
The message to Aristide's new government is ``get your act together real fast,'' said a Haitian-American consultant. ``Otherwise, you'll live to regret it.''
Cuba: Clinton's hard-line policy toward Cuba likely will go unchanged by Republican hands. A nascent movement among some Democrats to strip away some aspects of the U.S. economic embargo will likely go back ``into the deep freeze,'' Hakim said.
Free trade: Efforts to build on the North American Free Trade Agreement may get a boost from the new Congress, with Republicans traditionally in favor of reducing barriers to trade. But Congress might also seek to deprive Clinton of a political victory and deny him ``fast-track'' authority.
That authority, which leaves Congress with the power only of voting for or against a finished agreement, is viewed as essential to concluding accords with such nations as Chile, Colombia and Argentina.
Nominations: Clinton's nominee for ambassador to Panama, Robert Pastor, has been held up for several months by Helms. Now his prospects appear doomed. A protege of former President Carter, Pastor was involved in the U.S. agreement to hand over the Panama Canal to Panama. More recently, Pastor traveled to Haiti to negotiate Aristide's return.
The drug war: Republicans are eager to put this issue back on the map. Countries such as Mexico and Colombia are likely to find their behavior scrutinized anew in Capitol Hill hearings. ``There's been no leadership on this issue out of the White House,'' a Republican aide said.
by CNB