(28 Nov 1994) Eng/Nat:
A leading US Republican senator has criticised President Clinton over his willingness to fund the dismantling of North Korea's nuclear programme.
The Republican party may block a deal which gives Pyongyang four (b) billion U-S dollars in international aid in return for a promise to end its nuclear activities.
The Republicans say they don't trust North Korea but haven't decided yet if they will stop the agreement.
One leading Republican senator - Phil Gramm from Texas - says the U-S cannot afford the North Korean deal.
SOUND BITE:
"Well, first of all Bill Clinton has got to stop running all over the world and sprinkling around money that we don't have. It is unseemly that everywhere the President goes he's going to give them some of our money. In (North) Korea the President never
came to the Congress and said 'Are you willing to put up four b billion dollars to build nuclear reactors in North Korea? Are you willing to give them an allotment of oil every year?'
The President never made that request, yet he made all of these agreements, and they're not going to do anything that is verifiable for the next five years. I don't trust the North Koreans. I think this is a very questionable deal. We're going to hold hearings on it. And if we have to vote to put it in to place, as of today, unless the president can give us a lot of convincing evidence, I'm going to vote no."
(Question: "You don't think it's going to make it through Congress?")
"I don't know. I don't know the degree to which the President is going to have to get it approved. But I can tell you one thing, with a Republican Congress, Bill Clinton is going to have to stop running around the world giving away our money at every stop he makes. We're not going to provide the money, and I think, quite frankly, it creates a bad environment. It makes Bill Clinton and America look like Santa Claus. The last time I looked we were broke and we ought to start acting like it."
SUPER CAPTION: Senator Phil Gramm - Republican-Texas
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