Other Bilateral Economic Assistance

Other Bilateral Economic Assistance economic support fund (including transfer of funds) For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapter 4 of part II, $2,132,500,000, to remain available until September 30, 2005: Provided, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $480,000,000 shall be available only for Israel, which sum shall be available on a grant basis as a cash transfer and shall be disbursed within 30 days of the enactment 118 STAT. 151 of this Act: Provided further, That not less than $575,000,000 shall be available only for Egypt, which sum shall be provided on a grant basis, and of which sum cash transfer assistance shall be provided with the understanding that Egypt will undertake significant economic reforms which are additional to those which were undertaken in previous fiscal years, and of which not less than $200,000,000 shall be provided as Commodity Import Program assistance: Provided further, That in exercising the authority to provide cash transfer assistance for Israel, the President shall ensure that the level of such assistance does not cause an adverse impact on the total level of nonmilitary exports from the United States to such country and that Israel enters into a side letter agreement in an amount proportional to the fiscal year 1999 agreement: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $250,000,000 should be made available only for assistance for Jordan: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, up to $1,000,000 should be used to further legal reforms in the West Bank and Gaza, including judicial training on commercial disputes and ethics: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading shall be made available for administrative costs of the United States Agency for International Development to implement regional programs in Asia and the Near East, including the Middle East Partnership Initiative, in addition to amounts otherwise available for such purposes: Provided further, That $13,500,000 of the funds appropriated under this heading shall be made available for Cyprus to be used only for scholarships, administrative support of the scholarship program, bicommunal projects, and measures aimed at reunification of the island and designed to reduce tensions and promote peace and cooperation between the two communities on Cyprus: Provided further, That $35,000,000 of the funds appropriated under this heading shall be made available for assistance for Lebanon, of which not less than $4,000,000 should be made available for American educational institutions for scholarships and other programs: Provided further, That notwithstanding section 534(a) of this Act, funds appropriated under this heading that are made available for assistance for the Central Government of Lebanon shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $22,500,000 shall be made available for assistance for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, of which up to $1,000,000 may be available for administrative expenses of the United States Agency for International Development: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $1,500,000 should be made available for technical assistance for countries to implement and enforce the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading should be made available to support the development of justice and reconciliation mechanisms in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda, including programs to improve local capacity to prevent and respond to gender-based violence: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading may be used, notwithstanding any other provision of law, to provide assistance to the National Democratic Alliance of Sudan to strengthen its ability to protect civilians from attacks, slave raids, and aerial bombardment by the Sudanese Government forces and its militia allies, and the provision of such 118 STAT. 152 funds shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That in the previous proviso, the term “assistance” includes non-lethal, non-food aid such as blankets, medicine, fuel, mobile clinics, water drilling equipment, communications equipment to notify civilians of aerial bombardment, non-military vehicles, tents, and shoes: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $1,750,000 should be made available for East Asia and Pacific Environment Initiatives: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, $5,000,000 shall be made available to continue to support the provision of wheelchairs for needy persons in developing countries: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading that are made available for a Middle East Financing Facility, Middle East Enterprise Fund, or any other similar entity in the Middle East shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That with respect to funds appropriated under this heading in this Act or prior Acts making appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and related programs, the responsibility for policy decisions and justifications for the use of such funds, including whether there will be a program for a country that uses those funds and the amount of each such program, shall be the responsibility of the Secretary of State and the Deputy Secretary of State and this responsibility shall not be delegated: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated in Public Law 108–106 under the heading “Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund”, up to $100,000,000 may be transferred to and consolidated with funds appropriated by this Act under this heading and made available for Turkey, and up to $30,000,000 may be transferred to and consolidated with funds appropriated by this Act under this heading and made available for the Middle East Partnership Initiative: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading shall be made available for programs and countries in the amounts contained in the table accompanying the joint explanatory statement of the managers accompanying this Act: Provided further, That any proposed increases or decreases to the amounts contained in such table shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations and section 634A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and notifications shall be transmitted at least 15 days in advance of the obligation of funds. international fund for ireland For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $18,500,000, which shall be available for the United States contribution to the International Fund for Ireland and shall be made available in accordance with the provisions of the Anglo-Irish Agreement Support Act of 1986 (Public Law 99–415): Provided, That such amount shall be expended at the minimum rate necessary to make timely payment for projects and activities: Provided further, That funds made available under this heading shall remain available until September 30, 2005. global hiv/aids initiative For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for the prevention, treatment, and 118 STAT. 153 control of, and research on, HIV/AIDS, $491,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, $15,000,000 may be apportioned directly to the Peace Corps to remain available until expended for necessary expenses to carry out activities to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not more than $8,000,000 may be made available for administrative expenses of the office of the “Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally” of the Department of State: Provided further, That in carrying out the duties specified in section 1(f)(2)(B)(ii)(VII) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956, the Coordinator shall ensure that assistance is provided for activities in not fewer than 15 countries, at least one of which shall not be in Africa or the Caribbean region: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, up to $75,000,000 should be made available for the safe and appropriate use of injections and other forms of infection control and prevention, and for blood safety programs. assistance for eastern europe and the baltic states (a) For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989, $445,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2005, which shall be available, notwithstanding any other provision of law, for assistance and for related programs for Eastern Europe and the Baltic States: Provided, That of the funds appropriated under this heading that are made available for assistance for Bulgaria, $2,000,000 should be made available to enhance safety at nuclear power plants: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, and under the headings “Assistance for the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union”, “Foreign Military Financing Program”, and “Economic Support Fund”, not less than $53,500,000 shall be made available for programs for the prevention, treatment, and control of, and research on, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading that are made available for Montenegro, not less than $12,000,000 shall be made available for economic development and environmental programs in the coastal region: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, up to $1,000,000 should be made available for a program to promote greater understanding and interaction among youth in Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading shall be made available for programs and countries in the amounts contained in the table accompanying the joint explanatory statement of the managers accompanying this Act: Provided further, That any proposed increases or decreases to the amounts contained in such table shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations and section 634A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and notifications shall be transmitted at least 15 days in advance of the obligation of funds.(b) Funds appropriated under this heading shall be considered to be economic assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for purposes of making available the administrative authorities contained in that Act for the use of economic assistance.(c) With regard to funds appropriated under this heading for the economic revitalization program in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 118 STAT. 154 and local currencies generated by such funds (including the conversion of funds appropriated under this heading into currency used by Bosnia and Herzegovina as local currency and local currency returned or repaid under such program) the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall provide written approval for grants and loans prior to the obligation and expenditure of funds for such purposes, and prior to the use of funds that have been returned or repaid to any lending facility or grantee.(d) The provisions of section 529 of this Act shall apply to funds made available under subsection (c) and to funds appropriated under this heading: Provided, That notwithstanding any provision of this or any other Act, including provisions in this subsection regarding the application of section 529 of this Act, local currencies generated by, or converted from, funds appropriated by this Act and by previous appropriations Acts and made available for the economic revitalization program in Bosnia may be used in Eastern Europe and the Baltic States to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989.(e) The President is authorized to withhold funds appropriated under this heading made available for economic revitalization programs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, if he determines and certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has not complied with article III of annex 1–A of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina concerning the withdrawal of foreign forces, and that intelligence cooperation on training, investigations, and related activities between state sponsors of terrorism and terrorist organizations and Bosnian officials has not been terminated. assistance for the independent states of the former soviet union (a) For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapters 11 and 12 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the FREEDOM Support Act, for assistance for the Independent States of the former Soviet Union and for related programs, $587,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2005: Provided, That the provisions of such chapters shall apply to funds appropriated by this paragraph: Provided further, That of the funds made available for the Southern Caucasus region, notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds may be used for confidence-building measures and other activities in furtherance of the peaceful resolution of the regional conflicts, especially those in the vicinity of Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabagh: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, $1,500,000 should be available only to meet the health and other assistance needs of victims of trafficking in persons: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, $17,500,000 shall be made available solely for assistance for the Russian Far East, of which not less than $3,000,000 shall be made available for programs and activities authorized under section 307 of the FREEDOM Support Act (Public Law 102–511): Provided further, That $4,000,000 shall be made available to promote freedom of the media and an independent media in Russia: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, up to $500,000 should be made available to support democracy building programs in Russia through the 118 STAT. 155 Sakharov Archives: Provided further, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds appropriated under this heading in this Act or prior Acts making appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and related programs, that are made available pursuant to the provisions of section 807 of Public Law 102–511 shall be subject to a 6 percent ceiling on administrative expenses.(b) Of the funds appropriated under this heading that are made available for assistance for Ukraine, not less than $19,000,000 should be made available for nuclear reactor safety initiatives, and not less than $1,500,000 shall be made available for coal mine safety programs.(c) Of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $94,000,000 shall be made available for assistance for Russia.(d) Of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $75,000,000 shall be made available for assistance for Armenia.(e) Of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $57,000,000 should be made available, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, for assistance for child survival, environmental and reproductive health, and to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, and for related activities.(f)(1) Of the funds appropriated under this heading that are allocated for assistance for the Government of the Russian Federation, 60 percent shall be withheld from obligation until the President determines and certifies in writing to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of the Russian Federation—(A) has terminated implementation of arrangements to provide Iran with technical expertise, training, technology, or equipment necessary to develop a nuclear reactor, related nuclear research facilities or programs, or ballistic missile capability; and(B) is providing full access to international non-government organizations providing humanitarian relief to refugees and internally displaced persons in Chechnya.(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to—(A) assistance to combat infectious diseases, child survival activities, or assistance for victims of trafficking in persons; and(B) activities authorized under title V (Nonproliferation and Disarmament Programs and Activities) of the FREEDOM Support Act.(g) Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act shall not apply to—(1) activities to support democracy or assistance under title V of the FREEDOM Support Act and section 1424 of Public Law 104–201 or non-proliferation assistance;(2) any assistance provided by the Trade and Development Agency under section 661 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2421);(3) any activity carried out by a member of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service while acting within his or her official capacity;(4) any insurance, reinsurance, guarantee or other assistance provided by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation under title IV of chapter 2 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2191 et seq.);118 STAT. 156(5) any financing provided under the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945; or(6) humanitarian assistance.