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Fwd: Reps. Take Trip to Burma



forwarded by:Philip M.

In a message dated 97-03-13 14:37:53 EST, AOLNewsProfiles@xxxxxxx writes:

<< Subj:	Reps. Take Trip to Burma
 Date:	97-03-13 14:37:53 EST
 From:	AOLNewsProfiles@xxxxxxx
 
 .c The Associated Press
 
       By JIM DRINKARD
       WASHINGTON (AP) - When four senior House Republicans landed in
 Burma three months ago as guests of the country's military
 dictators, their official mission was to inspect drug interdiction
 efforts. But that was not the only agenda.
       During part of the trip, Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and an
 aide flew by helicopter over the remote area where a U.S. oil
 company, Unocal, and its French partner, Total, are building a
 natural gas pipeline.
       That $1.2 billion project, Burma's largest foreign investment
 deal, could be in jeopardy because of possible U.S. sanctions
 against the southeast Asian country.
       The trip by Hastert, House Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas, New
 York Rep. Bill Paxon and Ohio Rep. Deborah Pryce was paid for by
 the Asia Pacific Exchange Foundation, a tax-exempt organization in
 Washington.
       The group's president, Richard G. Quick, declines to say where
 its money comes from. But Unocal acknowledged it is among the
 foundation's sponsors.
       By donating to Quick's foundation, Unocal could claim a tax
 deduction for underwriting a congressional fact-finding trip to its
 pipeline, in effect using a taxpayer subsidy to lobby against U.S.
 government policy.
       Congressional aides who went on other trips the foundation
 sponsored last year said they included meetings with Chinese
 automakers and a tour of an aircraft plant that is a joint venture
 between China and Boeing. Ford Motor Co. and Boeing both are
 sponsors of the foundation.
       In an interview Quick denied his group, which has the tax status
 of a charity, is a lobbying arm for its corporate donors.
       Itineraries for trips are set to meet the interests of the
 lawmakers and their aides, he said. ``If that coincides with the
 interests of one of the contributors, so be it,'' he said.
       Frances Hill, a University of Miami law professor who
 specializes in tax-exempt groups, said it appeared that the
 foundation was used to ``put some distance'' between lawmakers and
 the corporate sponsors of a lobbying trip.
       ``What this reveals is that there are a lot of ways to lobby,''
 she said.
       The Clinton administration is considering whether to cut off
 investments in Burma, where generals canceled the democratically
 elected government in 1990 and put its leader, Nobel Peace Prize
 winner Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest. A law Congress passed
 last year permits sanctions if repression worsens.
       Unocal spokesman Barry Lane declined to say how much the company
 has paid to Quick's foundation. The donations make business sense
 because ``part of their charter is to improve relations, and we're
 very heavily involved in Asia,'' Lane said.
       Unocal has put much of its energy into expanding business ties
 in Burma, and would be the most affected by any ban on U.S.
 investment. The pipeline would move natural gas from offshore wells
 across a mountain range to Thailand.
       In addition, the company announced three weeks ago it had signed
 a deal with Burma's rulers to greatly expand its offshore gas
 development, paying them several million dollars as a signing
 bonus.
       The State Department and human rights groups say Burma's
 military rulers are guilty of widespread repression and human
 rights violations, including use of forced labor to build the
 pipeline. The oil companies deny the charge.
       At the sites he was shown, Hastert said, he saw no evidence of
 human rights abuses. Instead, there were well-paid villagers
 operating heavy equipment.
       ``It was a good insight for me,'' he said.
       Founded in 1987, Quick's foundation has become known on Capitol
 Hill for its Asia trips. It raised $576,000, the bulk from
 corporate sponsors, in 1995, the most recent year for which figures
 are available.
       Last year, the group sent at least 30 lawmakers and aides on
 trips to China, Japan, Hong Kong and other Asian destinations, at a
 cost of $162,000, making it one of the most active sponsors of
 private congressional travel.
       Quick is a former congressional aide, a businessman, and a
 brigadier general in the Army Reserve who carefully guards his
 privacy. His phone number is unlisted, and his group's name is
 missing from the building directory where he rents office space.
       The Burma trip was front-page news in the state-controlled
 newspaper. A photo showed the delegation meeting with top generals.
 The government sponsored a dinner for the group, which included the
 spouses of DeLay and Pryce and two aides, and they stayed at a
 government-owned hotel.
       The State Department was given no advance notice of the trip,
 which came at a tense time of student unrest. The department had
 issued a travel warning on Dec. 9 because of the potential for
 street violence.
       The group made no effort to meet with opposition leaders, Quick
 said, because the lawmakers expressed no interest. Another
 lawmaker, Rep. John Porter, R-Ill., was denied a visa when he
 sought a visit at about the same time to explore human rights
 issues.
       Once there, the group did invite a U.S. Embassy official to go
 along on its pipeline and drug interdiction forays, Quick said.
       AP-NY-03-13-97 1414EST
       Copyright 1997 The Associated Press.  The information 
 contained in the AP news report may not be published, 
 broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without 
 prior written authority of The Associated Press. >>


---------------------
Forwarded message:
>From:	AOLNewsProfiles@xxxxxxx
Date: 97-03-13 14:37:53 EST

<HTML><PRE><I>.c The Associated Press</I></PRE></HTML>

      By JIM DRINKARD
      WASHINGTON (AP) - When four senior House Republicans landed in
Burma three months ago as guests of the country's military
dictators, their official mission was to inspect drug interdiction
efforts. But that was not the only agenda.
      During part of the trip, Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and an
aide flew by helicopter over the remote area where a U.S. oil
company, Unocal, and its French partner, Total, are building a
natural gas pipeline.
      That $1.2 billion project, Burma's largest foreign investment
deal, could be in jeopardy because of possible U.S. sanctions
against the southeast Asian country.
      The trip by Hastert, House Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas, New
York Rep. Bill Paxon and Ohio Rep. Deborah Pryce was paid for by
the Asia Pacific Exchange Foundation, a tax-exempt organization in
Washington.
      The group's president, Richard G. Quick, declines to say where
its money comes from. But Unocal acknowledged it is among the
foundation's sponsors.
      By donating to Quick's foundation, Unocal could claim a tax
deduction for underwriting a congressional fact-finding trip to its
pipeline, in effect using a taxpayer subsidy to lobby against U.S.
government policy.
      Congressional aides who went on other trips the foundation
sponsored last year said they included meetings with Chinese
automakers and a tour of an aircraft plant that is a joint venture
between China and Boeing. Ford Motor Co. and Boeing both are
sponsors of the foundation.
      In an interview Quick denied his group, which has the tax status
of a charity, is a lobbying arm for its corporate donors.
      Itineraries for trips are set to meet the interests of the
lawmakers and their aides, he said. ``If that coincides with the
interests of one of the contributors, so be it,'' he said.
      Frances Hill, a University of Miami law professor who
specializes in tax-exempt groups, said it appeared that the
foundation was used to ``put some distance'' between lawmakers and
the corporate sponsors of a lobbying trip.
      ``What this reveals is that there are a lot of ways to lobby,''
she said.
      The Clinton administration is considering whether to cut off
investments in Burma, where generals canceled the democratically
elected government in 1990 and put its leader, Nobel Peace Prize
winner Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest. A law Congress passed
last year permits sanctions if repression worsens.
      Unocal spokesman Barry Lane declined to say how much the company
has paid to Quick's foundation. The donations make business sense
because ``part of their charter is to improve relations, and we're
very heavily involved in Asia,'' Lane said.
      Unocal has put much of its energy into expanding business ties
in Burma, and would be the most affected by any ban on U.S.
investment. The pipeline would move natural gas from offshore wells
across a mountain range to Thailand.
      In addition, the company announced three weeks ago it had signed
a deal with Burma's rulers to greatly expand its offshore gas
development, paying them several million dollars as a signing
bonus.
      The State Department and human rights groups say Burma's
military rulers are guilty of widespread repression and human
rights violations, including use of forced labor to build the
pipeline. The oil companies deny the charge.
      At the sites he was shown, Hastert said, he saw no evidence of
human rights abuses. Instead, there were well-paid villagers
operating heavy equipment.
      ``It was a good insight for me,'' he said.
      Founded in 1987, Quick's foundation has become known on Capitol
Hill for its Asia trips. It raised $576,000, the bulk from
corporate sponsors, in 1995, the most recent year for which figures
are available.
      Last year, the group sent at least 30 lawmakers and aides on
trips to China, Japan, Hong Kong and other Asian destinations, at a
cost of $162,000, making it one of the most active sponsors of
private congressional travel.
      Quick is a former congressional aide, a businessman, and a
brigadier general in the Army Reserve who carefully guards his
privacy. His phone number is unlisted, and his group's name is
missing from the building directory where he rents office space.
      The Burma trip was front-page news in the state-controlled
newspaper. A photo showed the delegation meeting with top generals.
The government sponsored a dinner for the group, which included the
spouses of DeLay and Pryce and two aides, and they stayed at a
government-owned hotel.
      The State Department was given no advance notice of the trip,
which came at a tense time of student unrest. The department had
issued a travel warning on Dec. 9 because of the potential for
street violence.
      The group made no effort to meet with opposition leaders, Quick
said, because the lawmakers expressed no interest. Another
lawmaker, Rep. John Porter, R-Ill., was denied a visa when he
sought a visit at about the same time to explore human rights
issues.
      Once there, the group did invite a U.S. Embassy official to go
along on its pipeline and drug interdiction forays, Quick said.
      AP-NY-03-13-97 1414EST
      <HTML><PRE><I><FONT COLOR="#000000 SIZE=2>Copyright 1997 The Associated
Press.  The information 
contained in the AP news report may not be published, 
broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without 
prior written authority of The Associated Press.<FONT COLOR="#000000
SIZE=3></I></PRE></HTML>


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