Senate Cites Panamanian Drug Traffic, Moves to Slash Aid

Sounding a warning to all nations that fail to clamp down on the drug trade, the Senate took a first step Friday toward slashing U.S. aid to Panama for failing to cooperate with American anti-drug efforts.

The Senate voted, 58 to 31, against a move to kill a resolution that condemned the Reagan Administration for certifying that Panama had fully cooperated with the program to stop drug trafficking into the United States. The measure then was adopted by voice vote.

Similar resolutions directed at Mexico and the Bahamas were defeated.

Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-Kan.) said that the measure directed at Panama succeeded primarily because that country’s military commander, Gen. Manuel Antonia Noriega, is viewed as “such a thug.” Noriega is alleged to be deeply involved in money laundering and drug trafficking.

Move Largely Symbolic

The vote was a largely symbolic act since it came two days after the deadline that Congress had set to take such action under terms of the U.S. foreign assistance program. Panama will receive its full aid payment unless the Senate votes later--and the House concurs--to make the reduction in U.S. aid retroactive.

Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), who co-authored the resolution with Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Pete Wilson (R-Calif.), indicated that he would seek a Senate vote next week to make the measure retroactive. It would cut by 50% the unexpended aid to Panama in the current fiscal year, which the State Department estimated at $19.8 million.

But even if the Panamanian aid reduction never becomes law, many senators said, it signals a new mood in Congress to get tough on U.S. aid recipients who fail to help in the war against drugs. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said that it “should send a clear signal to other nations that the United States means business.”

According to a Helms aide, the conservative senator believes that he and Kerry, a liberal, have organized “a very interesting bipartisan coalition” of senators who intend to focus more attention on drug trafficking by U.S. allies during the 100th Congress.

Sen. Alfonse M. D’Amato (R-N.Y.), during debate on the measure, indicated just how emotional the subject of drug-trafficking has become by ripping up the State Department’s report on foreign narcotics control efforts--which he said was “absolutely worth nothing”--and throwing it on the Senate floor.

“My blood boils!” D’Amato shouted.

‘A Bunch of Wimps’

Helms declared that members of Congress would be viewed as “a bunch of wimps” if they continued to supply assistance to countries that cooperate with the international drug trade. “We’ll be speaking loudly and carrying a wet noodle,” he said.

Both Helms and Kerry argued that the Panamanian government has permitted the country to become a center for the transshipment of narcotics and the laundering of drug profits. Helms said that there are 125 banks in Panama with a total of $30 billion in deposits, money he said comes largely from the sale of drugs in the United States.

Critics of the measure argued that it would only offend leaders of the strategically important country, where 4,500 U.S. troops are located, and also discourage Panamanian officials from complying with U.S. requests in the future. Panama’s defenders noted that the country recently enacted several new laws aimed at cutting into the drug trade.

The Helms-Kerry resolution grew out of a law that passed during a pre-election frenzy of anti-drug legislation in Congress last October. It requires the State Department to certify that recipients have “cooperated fully” with the U.S. drug control program. Congress has 30 days after receiving the report to reject the certification of any country.

Helms accused the Senate Democratic leadership of intentionally bringing the matter up for a vote after the 30-day period had expired so that it would have no effect.

In the Administration’s report issued last Feb. 20, Panama, Mexico and the Bahamas were listed as having cooperated fully with the program, which includes such steps as the destruction of marijuana, interception of drug traffickers and banking reform measures.

Aid Could Continue

If Congress rejects certification of Panama as a cooperative ally in the battle against drug trafficking, according to Helms, the Administration could continue to supply that country with aid by certifying instead that it is a strategically important nation.

The resolution aimed at Mexico was defeated by a vote of 49-38, and the Bahamas resolution was killed 54-34.