REAGAN SAYS U.S. SEEKING PEACE IN CENTRAL AMERICA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000201020027-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 25, 2012
• Sequence Number: 27
• Publication Date: July 27, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/25: CIA-RDP90-00965R000201020027-1
~T LE APPEARED
Reagan Says U.S.
Seeking Peace in
Central America...
There Is Nto `Ulterior-
In Policy, Conference
By Lou Cannon
President Reagan last night.
soughtr~taiuieoee
who fear his administration is heading~'4br` a "Vi team
type war in Central America by discounting the impor-
tance of planned large-scale U.S. military exercises in the
region and emphasizing that he favors peaceful resolu-
tion of armed conflicts in El Salvador and Nicaragua. .
At a nationally televised news conference in the East
Room of the White House, the 19th of his presidency,
Reagan suggested that the concern about his Central
American policy reflects an inaccuratesawent of ad-
ministration aims by Congress and the media.
"First of all, there is no comparison with Vietnam and
there's not going to be anything of that kind in this,"
Reagan said. "And maybe the people are disturbed be-
cause of the confused pattern that has been presented to
them and the constant drumbeat with regard to the ...
suspicion that somehow there is an ulterior purpose in
this."
In attempting to shift the emphasis, Reagan endorsed
efforts by some Latin American countries to obtain a
regional peace settlement and even offered a rare com-
pliment to the leftist governments of Cuba and Nicara-
gua for recent statements "that seem to indicate that
they, too, now recognize the merit to regional negotia-
tions...
This contrasted sharply to recent Reagan statements
in which he denounced what he called the Cuban and
Soviet "war machine" in Nicaragua. But, while the tone
of Reagan's comments last night was subdued, he did not
back away from any of the Central America policy po-
sitions that have aroused opposition here.
Though he refused to discuss covert U.S. support for
guerrillas challenging the leftist Sandinista government
in Nicaragua, Reagan said it would be "a very grave mis-
take" for Congress to outlaw the CIA operation. Admin-
istration sources have put the total of the U.S.-backed
anti-Sandinista guerrillas at about. 12,000 men.
The president said no plan has been put before him to
raise the number of U.S. military advis-
ers in El Salvador from the current self-
imposed limit of 55, although other ad-
ministration officials have said the Pen-
tagon has sent such a recommendation to
..the White House. But Reagan did say it
.-would be possible . to train Salvadoran
tjoops more quickly for their war against
leftist rebels if the number of U.S. advis-,
iws were increased.
Reagan repeated a statement from his
last news conference, this time attribut-
:sing it to President Franklin D. Roosevelt,
ghat a president "should never say `nev-
-ed " when asked a hypothetical question
:febout the commitment of U.S. troops.
1iui. He also said, as he has in the past,
athat he has no plans to commit combat
troops to the region and that U.S. allies
-W gve not requested them.
"" Reagan's news conference last night,
his second in a month but the last one
planned before Labor Day, was domi-
r ated by the issue of Central America, as
'White House officials had anticipated.
One said the president scheduled the
`hews conference because he wanted to
'"calm the fears in the country and Con-
gress" about the direction of U.S. policy
in the region.
The president opened with a state-
inent in which he emphasized his support
of "democracy. reform and human tree-
,dom" in Central America and in which he
'plaved down the role of U.S. military and
naval exercises that will begin next
month in Honduras and off the coasts of
Central America.
The exercises will involve two battle-
phip groups and from 3,000 to 4,000 com-
:bat troops, but Reagan said they are
,,"limited in purpose." He added that the
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/25: CIA-RDP90-00965R000201020027-1
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/25: CIA-RDP90-00965R000201020027-1
United States has held "much larger scale
exercises" in Europe, Asia and Latin
America, although the Pentagon has said
there have not been exercises of this
magnitude in Central America. Despite
U.S. opposition to "the use of force by
one neighbor against another," Reagan
said in a reference to Nicaraguan support
of the leftist guerrillas in El Salvador,
"we are not seeking a larger presence in
that region, and U.S. forces have not
been requested there. The United States
stands firmly on the side of peace."
Shortly before the news conference
began the White House released the text
of a letter which Richard B. Stone, the
special U.S. ambassador in the region,
had delivered. to.-the presidents of : the
four "Contadora" countries-Colombia,
Mexico, Panama and Venezuela-prais-
ing their efforts to reach a peaceful re-
gional settlement.
The letter restated-previous policy
declarations of the Reagan administra-
tion, outlining what the president be-
lieves to be the necessary conditions for a
peaceful settlement to the guerrilla wars
in El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Reagan said he anticipated no prov/K'-
ative incidents in either the military or
the naval maneuvers that will begin next
month unless it was a terrorist attack
that could happen -in a base in America.
He said the military exercises in U.S.-
supported Honduras are not oing to
put Americans in any reasonable prox-
imity to the border" with Nicaragua.
Reagan said that instructions to 1;.S.
forces to return fire 'if they are tired upon
are routine, adding that soldiers who
"have taken it upon themselves to be our
defenders and protectors have a right to
defend and protect their own lives."
Saying the many U.S. warships, in-
cluding aircraft carriers, included in the
.military exercises are not being sent near
Nicaragua for any hostile action, Reagan
added that a Soviet freighter, the Alex-
sandr Ulyanov, was currently approach-
ing the Nicarguan port of Corinto carry-
ing a load of transport helicopters for
military purposes.
"And no one shot at them," the pres-
ident added.
Reagan, in command of the question-
ing during most of the news conference,
was asked near the end who was to blame
for the "confused pattern" he said had
appeared in recent media and congres-
sional descriptions of his policy.- I don't
think there is as much confusion as they
are trying to point out about this," he
replied.
Repeatedly, no matter what he was
asked, the president stuck to his essential
theme that his policies were promoting
peace, not war, in Central America.
Asked whether the American people
were ready to support a war to defend
U.S. interests in the region, Reagan
launched into a long answer in which he
praised Americans as "the most peace-
loving people -in' the world" and then re-
iterated what he said was his own long-
standing opposition to war.
The reporter tried again, asking
whether the American people supported
Reagan policies in Central America.
"Those that have been informed and
understand it do," Reagan responded. "1
just met with some today who made it
evident that they did. Now, if we all get
together and explain what's happening
down there, perhaps that'll resolve the
situation in that regard."
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/25: CIA-RDP90-00965R000201020027-1