Senate pleases W. House
NZPA-Reuter Washington The United States Senate approved a military funding bill yesterday after rejecting a controversial proposal to slash American troop levels in N.A.T.O. unless the allies boosted their defence spending. After a 17-hour session the Senate approved a SUS29I billion ($448.14 billion) defence spending bill for 1985 on an 82-6 vote. Differences with the House of Representatives’ version will be worked out by a conference committee. The all-night debate ended an argument which
had raged since June 7 over the troop cut-back plan put forward by Sam Nunn (Democrat, Georgia). His proposal .to cut American troops by 90,000 unless North Atlantic allies spent 3 per cent more on defence annually after inflation was killed on a 55-41 vote after an extraordinary lobbying effort by the Reagan Administration and alliance members. “We are pleased ... it is a very good product,” said a White House spokesman, Larry Speakes. The Senate accepted a Republcican compromise
calling for a freeze in United States forces at next year’s level unless the Defence Secretary certifies that the allies “have undertaken significant measures” to meet Mr Nunn’s goals. The Secretary of State, Mr George Shultz, had argued that Mr Nunn’s objective of building up N.A.T.O. conventional forces would not be accomplished by sanctions but would instead drive a wedge into the alliance. President Ronald Reagan telephoned many senators to lobby against the Nunn plan, and congressional
sources said that officials from several N.A.T.O. countries had been in touch with senators. The Senate also went on record as favouring resumption of talks for a comprehensive ban on nuclear weapons tests. The Reagan Administration abandoned negotiations in 1982 on the ground that such a treaty could not be verified. The non-binding resolution also called on Mr Reagan to send the 1974 Threshold Test Ban Treaty and the companion 1976 Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty to the Senate for ratification.
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Press, 23 June 1984, Page 10
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314Senate pleases W. House Press, 23 June 1984, Page 10
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