KALB

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000301540003-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 6, 2010
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: January 13, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2010/01/06: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000301540003-4
NBC P 1.ET TI lE PPFSS
13 January 1985
KALB: Did, you mentioned Afghanistan. There's a story,intoday's Washington
.Post that the United States is giving approximately $250 million: in covert
assistance to the rebels in. Afghanistan. Is that correct sir? SHULTZ: Well,
I
have nothing to say any, in any way about covert assistance. We do sympathize
very much with the freedom fighters in Afghanistan, and we provide humanitarian
aid, and we, we're very much in support of what kind of resistance they're
putting up. The point is, there is a potential solution to Afghanistan, and it
is that the Soviet Union withdraw its forces, let a government get established
there that represents the people of Afghanistan, and that provisions be made so
that the large number of refugees come back without prejudice to.their
condition. And these are things that we have pointed out, and then the U.N.
negotiations have been brought up very strongly.
KALB: Isn't the United States providing more than just humanitarian
assistance,
as you put it, sir? SHULTZ: Well, as you know, I will not comment on
questions
involving covert assistance to anything.
MUDD: What about aid to Nicaragua? It's now published that, that. Honduras and
El Salvador have increased their aid to the Nicaraguan contras, and Congressman
Addabbo has asked the State Department for. clarification as to whether El
Salvador and Honduras is truly diverting the aid they.get from us and then
sending it all to Nicaragua. The State Department'says well, we can't comment
on that. Would you, sir, comment? SHULTZ: Well, as far as we're concerned
the, -under the appropriations process in the Congress, we are sending no money
into Nicaragua, and as far as we're able to tell,-and we do trace through where
our-aid goes when we give it to some country, trace it through to see that it's
used for the purposes it was given for, and as far as we're knowledgeable that
is the case. Now, in the case of an individual country, it's a sovereign
country, and if they have things they want to do with their own funds, that's
up
to them. But in our case, according:'to our law, we're providing the, we're
providing funds to Honduras, to Honduras, to El Salvador, and they're using it
for the purpose it was given for.
MUDD: You've left-the.door open a little, haven't you, on that question?
SHULTZ: I've only left the door open to the extent of recognizing that
.sovereign countries are sovereign countries, and I don't know everything that
everybody does.
_`~r~e T `mod ~-/
Approved For Release 2010/01/06: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000301540003-4