BRAZIL TO BLOCK LIBYANS FLYING ARMS TO LATINS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302640052-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 20, 2012
• Sequence Number: 52
• Publication Date: April 21, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/20: CIA-RD
T I C7.7.7,
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Brazil to Block
Libyans Flying.
Arms to Latins
Reagan to Address Joint
Session of Congress
By BERNARD GWERTZMAN
spew to no Now Yort Thu
WASHINGTON, April 20 ? Brazil an-
nounced today that it had decided not to
permit four Libyan planes, detained
since Saturday, to proceed to Nicara-
gua with tons of arms and explosives.
I The Reagan Administration said the
munitions might have been destined for
Insurgents in El Salvador.
The White House, seeking support for
the Salvadoran Government and striv-
ing to draw attention to accusations of
Nicaraguan subversive activity in El
Salvador, also said that President Rea-
gan would defend his Central American
policy before a joint session of Congress
next Wednesday night.
This is to be Mr. Reagan's most corn-
, prehensive address on Central Amer-
ica. The Administration is trying to
counter the lack of Congressional sup-
port for its Salvadoran aid program and
the seeming parallel lack of concern
about the activities of the Cuban. and
Soviet-backed Nicaraguan Govern-
ment.
NEW YORK TIMES
21 APRM 1983
Planes Landed Saturday
The Brazilian Government said four
Libyan transport planes were given
permission to land for refueling on
Saturday after they said they were car-
rying medical supplies to Nicaragua.
But a check of their cargoes showed
that they carried munitions. This led to
an official Brazilian protest to Libya,
the Brazilian Government said.
Brazilian diplomats said today that
the munitions would be taken off the
planes, and the planes would be allowed
to return to Libya with their crews. The
arms and ammunition would be sent
back to Libya by other means, the diplo-
mats .
Earlier, Brazilian spokesmen had in-
dicated that the planes would be per-
mitted to leave "for Libya" with their
cargoes, but this left open the possibil-
ity that they would continue on to Nica-
ragua.
American intelligence had been
tracking the four planes ? three Soviet-
built transports and one American-
made C-130 ? since they left Libya last
week, American officials said. The
United States Embassy in Brasilia was
in close contact with the Brazilian au-
thorities, officials here said, urging that
the Libyans not. oe permitted to carry
their cargoes to Nicaragua.
The three Soviet planes were de-
tained in Manaus while the American-
built plane was held in Recife.
The Congressional attitude President
Reagan will seek to counter with his
speech was reflected in a House For-
eign Affairs Committee action Tues-
day. It voted 19 to 16 to deny El Salvador
$50 million in additional military aid I
sought for this fiscal year by the Admin-
istration. El Salvador already receives
$16:5 million, and another request by
the Administration to divert $60 million
in aid for other countries is still pend-
ing. But the Administration was upset
by the vote against the separate $50 mil-
lion request.
P90-00965R000302640052-3
Larry Speakes, the White House
spokesman, said, "We take strong ex-
ception to this action." He said the Ad-
ministration would press its case when
the issue reached the full House.
He added, speaking of the Libyan
planes,
"We think this is foolproof evidence
that outside forces are continuing to
supply arms to the region in an attempt
to upset the reforms that have been so
eagerly sought by the governments
there, he said. ?
The State Department has regularly
listed Cuba, the Soviet Union, the
P.L.O. and Libya as having supplied
military help and advisers to Nicara-
gua. The State Department said today.
This report of clandestine arms ship-
ments is yet another indication of
Libyan support for the Sandinist arms
buildup and their destablizing activities
against their neighbors in Central
America."
Shultz Sees House Panel
In a related matter, Secretary of
State George P. Shultz met privately
late this afternoon with members of the
House Intelligence Committee, includ-
ing its chairman, Representative Ed-
ward P. Boland, Democrat of Massa-
chusetts, to assure them that the Ad-
ministration was not breaking the law
in its covert activity in Nicaragua. Mr.
Boland said last week that he believed
the law was being violated.
A resolution passed in Mr. Boland's
name forbids American covert activity
with the goal of overthrowing the Nica-
raguan Government. Mr. Reagan, with-
out confirming such activity, said last
. week that whatever the United States
was doing in that region, it was in-
tended to cut the clandestine arms flow
from Nicaragua to Salvadoran insur-
gents.
Senator Barry Goldwater, Republi-
can of Arizona, who heads the Senate
Intelligence Committee, repeated
today that in his opinion, the Adminis-
tration was acting within the law.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/20: CIA-RDP90-00965R000302640052-3