Reagan Gets Bill to Close PLO U.S. Office

The Senate passed and sent to the White House today legislation which would force the Palestine Liberation Organization office in the United States to close and authorize payment of $300 million overdue in U.S. payments to the United Nations.

The items were included in a two-year, $9.3-billion authorization bill, which was passed by voice vote in the Senate. The House passed the bill Tuesday, 366 to 49.

The bill authorizes appropriations for the State Department and related agencies, such as the U.S. Information Agency and its broadcast subsidiaries, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty and Radio Marti.

One section of the bill would require the PLO to close its New York office and would make it illegal for anyone to act under the direction of the PLO in the United States or to accept money from the group.

The New York PLO office opened in November, 1974. A second PLO office opened in Washington in 1978, but was forced to close Dec. 6 by the State Department.

Provides Dues Payments

The bill also authorizes more than $1.15 billion over two years for U.S. dues for the United Nations and 44 other international agencies. And it authorizes $300 million to pay overdue U.S. contributions to the United Nations.

In addition, provisions in the bill allow the United States to withhold up to 60% of its U.N. contribution if the international agency fails to adopt specific budget laws.

The House vote was on the final version of the State Department authorization bill that emerged from a House-Senate conference committee, which sorted out differences between bills passed by each chamber.