FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

We welcome the approval by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee of the Administration's proposals for debt relief for the world's poorest countries. Under the bipartisan leadership of Chairman Jesse Helms and Ranking Member Joseph Biden, the Committee has taken a very important step forward toward fulfilling last year's promise for the global HIPC initiative. We look forward to continuing our work with the Congress to provide the critical funding needed to move ahead without delay, beginning with the pending supplemental budget request.