White House dismisses Castro meeting offer

Press, 15 June 1978, Page 8

White House dismisses Castro meeting offer

NZPA-Reuter Washington

The White House has dismissed an offer by the Cuban leader, Dr Fidel Castro, to meet President Jimmy Carter as Washington and Havana continue to stick to their versions of events that led up to last month’s invasion of Zaire. The offer to meet Mr Carter was brought back to Washington from Havana on Tuesday by two Democratic Congressmen along with some harsh words by Dr Castro for the American National Security Adviser (Dr Zbigniew Brzezinski). The two members of the House of Representatives International Affairs Committee, Stephen Solarz, of New York, and Anthony Beilenson, of California, told reporters they had a nine-hour meeting with Dr Castro. He had repeated denials of any Cuban role in the training or supply of Katangese rebels who invaded Zaire’s southern Shaba province from Angola last month. Hundred of Zaireans and Europeans were killed in the invasion. Dr Castro also told the Congressmen that he was willing to discuss the matter with the President personally, although he doubted

: that such a meeting was ; possible. ■ President Carter stuck to . his hard line on Cuba on I Tuesday night at a dinner > for the visiting Indian Prime Minister (Mr Morarji Desai) ! when he called the Prime ; Minister a “superb represen- ■ tative of the Non-Aligned ■ Movement.” I Then, in an unusually

pointed diplomatic reference for a State dinner, he added: “I think he would agree he recognises the fact that Cuba is not indeed a nonaligned country . . . But he hopes that Cuba will change in the future.” Mr Carter has called Cuba’s insistence that it is a non-aligned country a preposterous claim, and virtually accused the Cuban leader of lying when he denied his forces had trained and equipped the Katangese rebels.

Dr Castro, on the other hand, has not only denied those charges, but has said he had tried to stop the invasion. Having heard both sides, the two Congressmen remained unconvinced as to who was telling the truth. Mr Solarz said the Castro version was “a compelling case.” Mr Beilenson said that the evidence shown so far by the Carter Administration was “not compelling and certainly not conclusive.” Other Congressmen and some Administration sources have complained the evidence of Cuban involvement supplied by the Central Intelligence Agency was mostly second-hand, and in some cases third-hand. ,