U.S. OFFICIAL PESSIMISTIC ON AID FUNDING
Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary
James Conrow said he was exceedingly pessimistic that 1988
funding for the multilateral development banks, as proposed by
the Reagan administration, will be approved by Congress.
    Speaking to an international development conference, Conrow
said it appears almost certain Congress will opt to cut
spending for international programs before they cut into
domestic programs.
    He said in such an environment "foreign aid will lose and
lose big."
    The administration has proposed development bank funding of
1.8 billion dlrs for fiscal year 1988 and seeks about 290 mln
dlrs in catch-up from funding reduced in prior years.
  
 Reuter
