STATE DRAFT REPORT ON S.RES. 362 "EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE U.S. SHOULD SUPPORT THE CARABALLEDA MESSAGE OF THE CONTADORA GROUP."

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90B01390R000801080024-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 8, 2011
• Sequence Number: 24
• Publication Date: May 16, 1986
• Content Type: MEMO

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 STAT
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EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
WASHINGTON, O.C. 20503
LEGISLATIVE REFERRAL MEMORANDUM
TO: Legislative Liaison Officer-
Department of Defense
National Security Council
Central Intelligence Agency
CONGRESSIONAL AFFAIRS
9 G - ,& ,O
OCA FI[F .
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SUBJECT: State draft report on S.Res. 362 "Expressing the sense
of the Senate that the U.S. should support the
CaVaballeda message of the Contadora Group."
The Office of Management and Budget requests the views of your
agency on the above subject before advising on its relationship
to the program of the President, in accordance with OMB Circular
A-19.
A response to this request for your views is needed no later than
MONDAY, JUNE 9, 1986.
Questions should be referred to SueTau/AnnetteIooney (395-7300),
the legislative analyst An this office.
RONALD K. PETERSON FOR
Assistant Director for
Legislative Reference
cc: J. Eisenhour
R. Neely
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United States Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
Dear Mr. Chairman:
I am writing in response to your letter of March 14
requesting the Administration's view on Senate Resolution 362
proposed by Senator Kennedy to express the sense of the Senate
in support of the Caraballeda Message.
The Administration viewed the Caraballeda Message of the
Contadora Group as a generally positive development. We were
encouraged by the emphasis placed on democratization and
national reconciliation, two major goals of the Administration's
Central America policy. We were also intrigued by Nicaragua's
endorsement of the Message and the possibility that it
represented Sandinista willingness to undertake new steps
toward national reconciliation. Our exploration revealed,
however, that the Sandinistas continue to be totally opposed
to any dialogue with the armed or unarmed opposition.
While Caraballeda served to renew Contadora activity,
it had the practical result of shifting the focus away from
negotiation of a comprehensive agreement. The April 5-7
meeting of the Contadora Group, Support Group, and Central
American foreign ministers returned the process to negotiation
of the comprehensive, verifiable regional accord which has been
Contadora's objective since its inception.
I would like to turn now to the operative paragraphs of
Senate resolution 362.
11(1) the United States Government should declare its
support for, and adherence to, the Cara alleda proposal;"
The Administration views the Caraballeda message as
a positive development. The fact that Nicaragua's endorse-
ment of its key provision was revealed to be empty diminished
Caraballeda's usefulnesss. Secretary Shultz conveyed our
positive reaction to the Ambassadors of the Contadora Group
and the Support Group in a meeting January 16. He reiterated
that support in a meeting with the Contadora and Support Group
foreign ministers on February 10.
The Honorable
Richard G. Lugar,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations,
United States Senate.
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"(2) the Contadora process represents the most hopeful,
reasonable and constructive avenue to achieve peace in Central
America and should be supported by the UHited States;"
We agree. Statements of support for the Contadora
process by the President, the Secretary, and other high-level
administration officials have been numerous and are frequently
repeated by the Department's press spokesman. On March 27 the
Senate passed S. J. Res. 283, which expresses the strong sup-
port of the United States for "efforts to reach a comprehensive
and verifiable final agreement based on the Contadora Document
of objectives . . . ."
"(3) the United States should pursue and exhaust serious
multilateral initiatives aimed at achieving a negotiated
settlement of the crisis in Central America before resorting
to direct or indirect military pressure against Nicaragua; and"
We will continue to support the Contadora process. We
are convinced, however, that additional pressure is required
to persuade the Sandinistas to undertake serious negotiations.
The President's request for aid for the Nicaraguan democratic
resistance is designed to sustain one source of this pressure
as a complement to existing diplomatic, economic and political
pressures. This approach is endorsed by S. J. Res. 283.
"(4) the President should resume bilateral negotiations
with the Government of Nicaragua."
The United States is prepared to resume formal
bilateral discussions with Nicaragua simultaneously with
the initiation of a serious dialogue between the Sandinistas
and the Nicaraguan democratic opposition, including the armed
resistance. Any such discussions would be in support of, and
in no way a substitute for, a comprehensive regional settlement.
This policy was also endorsed by the Senate in S. J. Res. 283.
In our view, the principal issues raised by S. Res. 362
have already been addresseed in S. J. Res. 283. Also, since
S. Res. 362 was introduced, the Contadora process has proceeded
to renewed consideration of a comprehensive and verifiable
treaty. Thirteen foreign ministers met in Panama toward this
end in April. Although negotiation of remaining issues in the
treaty text was frustrated by the Government of Nicaragua's
intransigence, the Contadora countries established a schedule
for completing the negotiations by June 6. In light of these
developments, the adoption at this time of a Senate resolution
relating back to the January Caraballeda Message could create
misunderstanding in the ongoing diplomatic process. For these
reasons, the Executive Branch would not favor the adoption of
S. 362.
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The Office of Management and Budget advises that from
the standpoint of the Administration's program there is no
objection to the submission of this report.
Sincerely,
James W. Dyer
Acting Assistant Secretary
Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs
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