Secretary of State James Baker in the Den of PAC-Fed Lions

On May 23, 1991, one day after telling members of the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee that "I don't think there is any bigger obstacle to peace than the [Israeli] settlement activity" in the occupied territories (see "Congress", page 15), Secretary of State James A. Baker III testified before the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Below are excerpts from the hearing transcript. The amount of money each senator has received from pro-Israel PACs since 1978 is listed following his name.

Sen. Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY) $26,705

"This senator, and I think many other people who applaud your efforts, find it disheartening, disquieting and rather gratuitous ... when you said that there is no bigger obstacle to peace than the settlements .... And I certainly believe [your remarks] will give to the Arab communities, and those such as Syria who are using the role of the UN, very added information and opportunity and impetus to refuse to become involved in the peace process. I say it's uneven handed .... when the very acts of belligerence that these states continue, the fact that the Saudis owe us, and they owe us tremendously, because without the United States, they probably would have been the 20th province of Iraq .... Why is it that the Saudis refuse to drop the boycott and send a message out?. .

Secretary Baker

"Senator, why don't we do this: I've got a deal for you. Why don't you quietly probe with the Israelis the probability of getting a suspension of settlements, and I'll see if I can't get a suspension of the boycott .... Let me know how you come out. . . . "

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) $178,423

"What is the reality of putting pressure on the Saudis for what we believe they owe us ... to try to move the Mideast peace process along?. . . "

Secretary Baker

"[The Saudis] publicly now have committed to take action that I think is a very, very forward step ... For the Saudis to bring along five other Arab countries to say that they will sit down face-to-face, and negotiate region-wide issues with Israel and with other countries is a very forward leading step. It's been very helpful, frankly, in getting agreement [towards an Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace]."

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) $284,750

"I haven't heard any criticisms by our government, by the State Department, by the administration, for Kuwait and Saudi Arabia's failure to meet their financial obligations. . . "

Secretary Baker

"They're meeting their financial obligations. . . "

Sen. Lautenberg

"Are they fully paid up?. . .

Secretary Baker

"They didn't say they would be paid up by now. When we went out there and raised $54 billion, we didn't say that it had to be paid before the first of June. They are paying it as agreed."

Sen.Lautenberg

"If you ask the American people whether they think these folks-Saudi Arabia, sitting on trillions of dollars' worth of assets, ought to pony up, come to the bar and pay up and say ' 'America, not only do we understand our financial obligation, we also understand we have a foreign policy obligation and we ought to withdraw the boycott. . . , "

Secretary Baker

"They're doing something that Arab governments have been unwilling to do ... They are coming to the table and sitting down face to face with Israel and they're doing it because of one thing, because we asked them to do it. That's the only reason, really, that they're willing to do it. And it's a major step forward and it should be recognized as that. . . "

Sen. Robert Kasten (R-WI) $132,300

"You have asked for aid to Jordan notwithstanding the fact that King Hussein and the Parliament of Jordan and the Jordanian people clearly cast their lot against the United States of America in the Persian Gulf effort ... Why do you continue to justify ... aid to Jordan?. . . "

Secretary Baker

"It is not in the national interest to see a radicalized Jordan. That does not excuse in any way the position that the leadership in Jordan took in the Iraq-Kuwait war. We were very disappointed by that and disappointed particularly by some statements that came out of Jordan regarding the United States.

"Without Jordan, there will be, in my view, little change in the peace process. I think that King Hussein is almost indispensable to a peace process ... We want to see [Jordan] continue to be a stable country, and we want it to be actively and affirmatively engaged ... in the peace process..."

Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ) $83,750

"There were 180 charges against individuals [in Kuwait].

Only 12 were bought to trial, and six were actually convicted. The one that was reported as having been convicted for wearing a T shirt with a picture of Saddam Hussain also had 18 other, quote, 'felony' counts against him. . . "

Secretary Baker

"We want to see the right of fair trial accorded to people. But we do take note of the fact that there were some very, very serious and severe atrocities committed during the period of occupation...

"We also take note of the fact that ... press accounts that originally came out with respect to this were not entirely accurate, or at least complete, and that we have a government there that is in the process of devising a judicial process and procedure that they didn't used to have. The mere fact that they are having trials with defense attorneys and even though they don't go as far as our standards and what we would like to see, I think we ought to be cognizant of the fact that this is something rather unique and revolutionary at least in the history of that small country. . . "

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) $106,200

"I suggest that without strong, determined leadership from the United States ... none of the leaders [in the Middle East] have the vision or the statesmanship to leap over old rhetoric and history to find a breakthrough. They are locked in unfortunate rhetoric of the past decade ... I think foreign aid should play a role in the Middle East peace process.

"As I told both the president and you, I do not plan to move ahead with a foreign aid appropriation until I get a clear sense of what prospects there are to revive the peace process. . . "