The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, by a 10-6 vote, adopted a measure that provides a contribution of $60 million by the U.S. to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The payment would cover U.S. arrears for the past two years and most of 1977. The Administration had sought payment through 1978 and the subcommittee headed by Sen. George S. McGovern (D.SD) voted to provide $69 million to cover all of this year.
The full committee had originally balked at paying more than one year in arrears in view of the UNESCO’s politicization of issues. Most members disliked the UNESCO treatment of Israel, Taiwan and its support of a Third World bid for government control over the media.
Since the committee began deliberations more than a year ago on curbing U.S. payments, UNESCO has allowed Israel to join the European Regional Grouping within UNESCO from which it was previously barred and set up a study group on the media.
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