REAGAN SAYS CRISIS IN REGION COMPELS AID FOR SALVADOR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302640023-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2012
• Sequence Number: 23
• Publication Date: April 15, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/26: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302640023-5
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ON PAGE /
REAGAN SAYS CRISIS
IN REGION COMPELS
AID FOR SALVADOR
NEW YORK Trw7S
15 April 198'4
Hope Voiced for Cooperation
Senior Administration officials said
today that they hoped that the end to
' the mining, and the declared willing-
ness of the Administration to cooperate
with Congress, would lead to a calmer
mood after the Easter recess, and to an
agreement by the House to vote for the
measures related to Central America
that are viewed as critical by the Ad-
ministration and have already been ap-
HE DENOUNCES NICARAGUA proved by the Senate.
"We just had too many Chicken Lit-
ties in Congress in the last week, who
Cites Situation 'at Doorstep' seemed to become hysterical over cov-
in Upholding Decision to
Send Emergency Arms
By BERNARD G WE RTZMAN
Special to The New York Tunes
WASHINGTON, April 14 ? Presi-
dent Reagan said today that he had or-
dered $32 million in emergency arms
shipments for El Salvador on Friday
night because "we cannot turn our
backs on this crisis at our doorstep."
He ordered the aid after Congress ad-
journed for a 10-day Easter recess
without voting on whether to .approve
the money.
In his first public comments since the
furor in Congress in recent days over
the Administration's policies toward El
Salvador and Nicaragua, Mr. Reagan
also leveled some of his sharpest criti-
cism to date at Nicaragua for conduct-
ing what he called "covert aggression"
against El Salvador and its other neigh-
bors.
Nicaraguan Harbors Mined
Mr. Reagan, in his weekly, paid
radio broadcast, did not refer direclly
to the American covert campaign
against Nicaragua, which reportedly
tilgude_d_Stie n11_nitig.pf Nicaraguan har-
bors by Nicaraguan rebels and Latin
American agents under direction of the
Cer?firinntelirgence Agency.
But he indirectly upheld it by saying
that given the Sandinista Govern-
ment's "record of repression, we
should not wonder that the opposition,
denied other means of expression, had
taken up arms" against the Nicara-
guan leaders.
The Senate and the House both ;
passed nonbinding resolutions in recent
days calling for an end to such mining.
Senior Administration ., officials as-
serted on Friday that not only had the
mining ended but there were no plans
to resume it, in view of the attitude of
Congress and many friendly foreign
nations.
ert aid," one official said. "The Con-
gress keeps saying it wants to be in-
volved and have more of a say, but
, what can you do when they react like
that. They have to accept that covert
aid is part of the real world."
The Republican-dominated Senate
last week approved $21 million in new
funds to support the covert program in
Nicaragua, and $62 million in emer-
gency military and medical equipment
for El Salvador.
The Democratic-dominated House,
which was much more antagonistic to-.
ward the Administration's Central !
American policies; did not take up ei-
ther me.acure before the Easter recess
began on Friday. But House Demo-
cratic leaders did offer to allow the Ad-
ministration to reprogram $32 million
in aid funds alreaAy approved for other
countries for use in El Salvador.
This compromise, drafted by Repre-
sentative Clarence D. Long, Democrat
of Maryland, chairman of the Appro-
priations Subcommittee on Foreign
Operations, was initially accepted by
the Administration. But it was rejected
by Senate Republicans who said the
Administration should invoke emer-
gency provisions of the Arms Export
Control Act, which allow the President
to send a country military supplies that
do not have to be paid for for 120 days.
--' Control Act, but decided to keep the
level of emergency arms and medical
supplies for El Salvador to the $32 mil-
lion offered by the House, rather than
the $62 million approved by the Senate.
This was done, a senior State Depart-
ment official said, to demonstrate that
the Administration was not trying to
flout the intention of Congress, but was
trying to be conciliatory toward the
House, hoping for a more cooperative
relationship after the recess.
Pentagon Could Absorb Cost
The Senate leaders also advised
using the entire $62 million already ap-
proved by the Senate in the emergency
package. Under Section 21d of the law,
if Congress does not provide funds for
the arms during the 120 days, the cost is
absorbed by the Defense Department
budget.
Given the different views of the Sen-
ate and the House, the Administration,
on the advice of Secretary of State
George P. Shultz, devised its own com-
promise, officials said today. As a re-
sult, the President invoked the emer-
gency provisions of the Arms Export
Appreciation Voiced by Long
Mr. Long on Friday afternoon, when
he thought the Administration would
use all of the $62 million approved by
the House, condemned the rejection of
the reprogramming proposal. But he
said today that he appreciated Mr.
Shultz's setting the level at $32 million,
and that this "should mollify the House
somewhat."
There is still a potential for a con-
frontation, however, because the Ad-
ministration is still hoping for early ac-
tion by the House after the recess on
the pending $62 million request for El
Salvador. Mr. Long said he did not
think the House would want to take up
the matter again until after a new Sal-
vadoran President is sworn in on June
15.
Mr. Long said that the $32 million,
which includes $20 million in ammuni-
tion and other military supplies, and
$12 million for helicopters and other
equipment for medical evacuation,
Continued
STAT
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should be more than enough for the Sal-
vadorans through June.
Mr. Reagan, in addition to repeating
his concern about Nicaragua's joining
with the Soviet, Union and Cuba in
trying "to install Communism by force
throughout this hemisphere," also said
that the United States was still backing
the 'effort by the so-called Contadora
Group, consisting of Mexico, Colombia,
Venezuela and Panama, to achieve a
regional peace agreement in Central
America. The group takes its name
from a Panamanian island where lead-
ers of the four nations first met last
year.
"We've maintained a . consistent
policy toward the Sandinista regime,
hoping they can be brought back from
the brink peacefully through negotia-
tions,". President Reagan said.
"We're working through the Conta-
dora process for a verifiable, multilat-
eral agreement, one that insures the
Sandinistas terminate their export of
subversion, reduce the size of their
military forces, implement their demo-
cratic commitments to the Organiza-
tion of American States and remove
Soviet-bloc and Cuban military person-
nel," he said.
Move in World Court Cited
But, he said, the Sandinistas are
trying to avoid an agreement and are
instead seeking more sympathetic
hearings in world bodies such as the
United Nations Security Council, and
now the World Court. He did not refer
to the United States' announcement
that it would not accept World Court
jurisdiction over a Nicaraguan com-
plaint.
In discussing Nicaraguan military
forces, Mr. Reagan said that the San-
dinista army had grown from about
10,000 to 100,000 in less than five years.
He said that last year the Soviet bloc
delivered "over a hundred million dol-
lars in military hardware."
"The Sandinistas have established a
powerful force of artillery, multiple
rocket launchers and tanks in an ar-
senal that exceeds that of all the other
countries in the region put together,"
he said.
He said that more than 40 "new mili-
tary bases and support facilities" have
been constructed in Nicaragua through
Soviet bloc- and Cuban support totall-
ing more than $300 million.
'Terrorist Violence' Noted
"In addition to money and guns there
are now more than 2,500 Cuban and
Soviet- military personnel, another
5,000 so-called civilian advisers, as well
as P.L.0-.; East-bloc and Libyan assist-
ance to the Sandinistas," he declared.
He said that Nicaraguan-backed
"terrorist violence" has been felt in El
Salvador, Costa Rica and Honduras.
"What I've said today is not pleasant
to hear," he said, "but it is important
that you }mow that Central America is
vital to our interests and to our securi-
ty."
"We cannot turn our backs on this
crisis at our doorstep," he said.
c?z
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/26: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302640023-5