Page 14-Wednesday, July 26, 1978--The Michigan Daily
SENATE PASSES RESOLUTION
U.S. may end Turkey arms ban
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate
voted yesterday to lift the three-year-
old U.S. arms sales embargo against
Turkey -- a move supporters claimed
would restore that country's NATO
punch and help to spur a Cyprus set-
tlement.
The 57-42 vote marked a major
foreign policy victory for President
Carter, who had called lifting the ban
the most important foreign issue still to
be dealt with by the Congress this
session.
THE LIFTING of the embargo must
still be approved by the House,
however. It will be taken up there next
week but aides said prospects for
passage were uncertain.
The final vote was more lopsided in
the administration's favor than had
been expected. Both sides had predic-
ted the outcome would be settled by
only a few votes.
At the White House, press secretary
Jody Powell said Carter was "gratified
at the strong bipartisan support in the
Senate" and viewed the vote as "a con-
structive and statesmanlike action that
will strengthen the security of the
United States and the solidarity of the
NATO alliance."
IN BRUSSELS, senior NATO officials
privately expressed pleasure.
"Relations between one important
NATO ally - the United States - and
another one - Turkey - are finally
F(
FROM
going to be greatly improved," said one
official, who expressed hope the.action
would lead to a quicker solution of the
Cyprus dispute and, in turn, an end to
Greece's refusal to participate fully in
NATO's combined military command.
The Senate vote came on a com-
promise by Majority Leader Robert
Byrd (D-W. Va.), and several other
senators. It was endorsed by the White
House after it became evident that a
flat proposal to end the embargo would
probably fail.
THE COMPROMISE repeals the
language of U.S. law by which Congress
imposed a total embargo on arms sales
to Turkey in retaliation for that coun-
try's 1974 invasion of Cyprus.
The ban subsequently was modified
to permit Turkey up to $175 million in
military aid in order that it be able to
meet its NATO commitments.
The compromise reached by the
Senate will retain that ceiling in
Turkish arms aid and raise aid to
Greece to the same level for fiscal 1979.
But it provides that in later years aid
would be conditioned on serious efforts
by the two countries to reach an
agreement over Cyprus and to adhere
to human rights principles on the
island.
ARGUING THAT to continue the-em-
bargo would be counter-productive for
U.S. Policy, Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-
Texas) told the Senate: "Enough is
OLD BACK THIS FLAP& SEAL WITH TAPE
enough. We have made our point."
Proponents of continuing the ban
claimed yesterday that" Turkey -
despite the embargo - is still the third
largest recipient of U.S. Military aid af-
ter Israel and South Korea, and has
refused to make any concessions
toward resolving its dispute with
Greece overthe Cyprus dispute.,
Sen. Thomas Eagleton (D-Mo.), said
the choice now is "appeasement or
peace" and that by lifting the ban, the
Senate would be "sending a message to
other countries to whom we supply ar-
ms that they need not take U.S. law
seriously."
THE ISSUE - which President Car-
ter calls the most important foreign
policy question still before Congress
this year - arose as part of a $2.8
billion . foreign military aid
authorization bill.
Senate debate began on an amen-
dment - favored by the White House -
to end the embargo with no strings at-
tached. But division among lawmakers
over the question appeared to make a
compromise likely.
That was proposed by Byrd as an
amendment to end the embargo but
hold U.S. arms aid to Turkey and
Greece at $175 million for fiscal 1979.
FUTURE AID then would be con-
ditioned on a presidential assurance to
Congress that significant progress
toward a Cyprus agreement was being
made and human rights principles
respected.
Byrd told reporters after a White
House breakfast meeting that Carter
supported the compromise.
The compromise plan, while
repealing the actual language of U.S.
law that created the embargo, would
add nothing for the Turks next year. It
would, however, allow a boost in
military aid to Greece from $140 million
to $175 million.
Sen. Frank Church (D-Idaho) who
supported lifting the ban, said that ver
the three years, Turkey's military
equipment has become obsolete and
short of spare parts.
"If the deterioration continues
unabated, Turkey will be unable to
fulfill adequately its important NATO
function," he said.
Church also contended there have
been recent indications by the Turkish
side of a more flexible approach to
negotiating a Cyprus settlement.
'U' may
eut tenant
group funds
(ContinuedfrOmPaeOne)
ferent mandatory funds are assessed
through the University, including ones
charged in law school and in dor-
mitories. "It's confusing on why they're
singling us out lnow," he said.
According to Daane, certain
assessments are permissible because
they contain a broad spectrum of
political action. "They engage in many
areas, rather than a one-dimensional,
targeted area," he said.
The general counsel stated the
general actions of MSA were con-
stitutional only as long as they were not
mandatory.
LEGAL AID WILL receive ap-
proximately $125,000 from MSA allot-
ments next year. With restrictions put
on money going to the Tenants Union,
the TU stands to lose $2-4,000in funding.
According to TU's Sally Gierner, that
is roughly the annual sum it costs to
keep the group in operation.
"The Regents claim ultimate
authority . .. but the students voted,
and they seemed very much in favor of
these things," said TU's Susan Van
Hattum.
"THEY'RE SAYING student govern-
ment can't do what it says it wants to
do," she added.
A separate part of the OSS request
asks the Regents to force Campus
Legal Aid to purchase malpractice in-
surance naming the University as an
additional party. That section also
recommends that Legal Aid be forbid-
den from initiating suits against the
University, its Regents, employees, or
represented agents.
"Even if we could sue the University,
it would be a chilling restriction that
our money is coming from the Univer-
sity," said one Legal Aid represen-
fative who asked not to be named.
"Students in the situation where they
might sue the University, even if we
were in the position to sue the Univer-
sity, mightbe better off seeking counsel
elsewhere," he said.
"The, restrictions are something
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