FIGHT OVER AIDING NICARAGUAN REBELS RESUMES IN HOUSE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000504870026-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 8, 2012
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: April 9, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

J Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504870026-3
IPPEARED
WASHINGTON POST
9 April 1985
Fight Over Aiding
Nicaraguan Rebels
Resumes in House
White House Says Sandinistas Intransigent
By Joanne Omang
Washington Post Staff Writer
The Reagan administration's
chief defender of aid to Nicaraguan
rebels and House Democrats' chief
critics of that policy renewed their
disagreements at top volume yes-
terday as the House began prepar-
ing for another vote on the issue.
The White House also charged
that Nicaragua."dug in its heels" at.
the guidance of Cuban7 adviserssto
derail the Contadora regional peace-
talks last weekend.
Elliott Abrams, assistant, secre-
tary of state for inter-American af-
fairs, defended the controversial
U.S. account of the early hours of
the incursion by Nicaraguan troops
into Honduras March 22. He said
the leftist Sandinista government of
Nicaragua "simply lied about what it
had done," while U.S. accounts that
2,400 soldiers had invaded were
accurate.
"We have been proven correct-
perha even to have underplayed
the event-by further intelligence, b prisoner debriefings and even by
[Nicaraguan President Daniel Or-
tega," Abrams told the House F or-
ei n Affairs subcommittee on West-
ern Hemisphere affairs.
"Are you telling -this committee
you didn't hype this?" Rep. Peter H.
Kostmayer (D-Pa.) asked later.
"I played it down, sir," Abrams
responded.
"Good Lord, I wouldn't' want to
be around when you played it up!"
Kostmayer exclaimed; He noted
that the official estimate of the
number of Sandinista troops went
from 2,400 in private briefings for
members of Congress to 1,500 in
public statements, while other es-
timates were even lower.
"Most people feel you did hype it
... people are feeling you've been
untruthful on this issue," Kost-
mayer said.
Abrams bristled at "this personal
attack" and advised Kostmayer that tee is scheduled to decide which of
"it would be a damn good idea" for several alternatives will be allowed
doubtful members of Congress to to reach the floor as amendments to
examine classified State Depart- a $1.7 billion supplemental appro-
ment cables on the matter. priations measure.
Asked about conflicting early ac-
counts of whether Honduras re-
quested the $20 million in military
aid that President Reagan imme-
diately provided, Abrams said he
and Honduran President Jose - Az-
cona Hoyo might have "short-cir-
cuited the usual diplomatic system"
in their private consultations and
caused "a time lag in getting the
story out in Honduras."
He said Azcona called Washing-
ton the morning of March 24 to re-
quest aid, and Abrams called back
twice. that afternoon to_ discuss it.
But those calls were private,. Ab-
rams said, and meanwhile. a Hon.
duran government spokesman de-
nied publicly that aid had been re-
quested and "never caught up."
Earlier, subcommittee Chairman
Michael D. Barnes (D-Md.) said his
visit with Reps. James C. Slattery
(D-Kan.) and William B. Richardson
(D-N.M.) to the Contadora nego-
tiating session in Panama last week-
end convinced them that leaders of,
the eight Latin American nations
are "clear, strong and unambigu-
ous" in opposition to any U.S. hu-
manitarian or military aid for the
Nicaraguan rebels, known as con-
tras or counterrevolutionaries.
"Their language was not even
diplomatic," Barnes said. However,
the eight also agreed "that Nicara-
gua is being intransigent, that the
Sandinistas' commitment to peace
is suspect," he said.
Nicaragua rejected a proposal
that would have reduced arms lev-
els in all of Central America, argu-
ing that contra attacks would have
to stop first.
At the White House, spokesman
Larry Speakes said the Sandinistas
"consistently had Cuban advisers
playing a substantive role" in set-
ting Nicaragua's positions at the
talks. "Nicaragua has refused to
take part in constructive talks ...
we are willing, but the Sandinista
government has dug in its heels."
Renewed House action on Rea-
gan's once-rejected request for
$100 million in contra aid begins
Thursday when the Rules Commit-
STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504870026-3