Carter team sets line on Cuba brigade

Press, 1 October 1979, Page 8

Carter team sets line on Cuba brigade

NZPA-Reuter Washington : President Jimmy Carter: has secluded himself at the:i Camp David Presidential re- i treat to prepare a broadcast t to the United States people|( tomorrow on the thorny 1 issue of Soviet troops in It Cuba. li The dispute has badly!’ strained United States-Soviet relations, and prompted the[< Cuban President (Dr Fidel I < Castro) to describe Mr Car-[ i te- as ‘'dishonest, insincere, [ I at d immoral.” It The United States main-:< tains that the Soviet Union < has 2000 to 3000 combat! troops in Cuba, but both 3 Moscow and Havana say the 11 soldiers are only part of a[( training unit. [: Mr Carter had plenty of|l advice to consider as he if

searched for a way out of the tense diplomatic clash. He spent about 90 minutes conferring over lunch with the so-called 15 “wise men.” a hastily-formed special committee chosen to advise him on the conflict. It included such elder statesmen as Dr Henry Kissinger and Mr W. Avereli Harriman. An official spokesman described the meeting as a full d : <cussion of the troops issue, but refused to provide further details. The committee members told reporters they were sworn to secrecy. But one of them, a special Presidential envoy, Mr Sol Linowitz, hinted that Mr Carter had ruled out any sort of military response to the presence of the Soviet troops.