Kennedy under fire after criticising Shah

Press, 5 December 1979, Page 8

Kennedy under fire after criticising Shah

I NZPA-Reuter Washington I The United States State I Department has lashed out at Senator Edward Kennedy, saying his comments on Iran could interfere with delicate negotiations to free 50 American hostages held in Teheran for nearly a month. The senator said that the Shah’s Government, overthrown by Islamic fundamentalists' in February, was “one of the most violent regimes in the history of mankind.”

A State Department spokesman, Mr Hodding Carter. called the senator’s remarks “unfortunate and not helpful.” The State Department’s reaction was an unusually strong attack on a member of Congress — in this case, President Jimmy Carter’s main challenger for the Democratic Party’s Presidential nomination. Speaking for the Secretary of State (Mr Cyrus Vance), the spokesman expressed regret at “any such statement which shifts the focus of concern away from the hostages and may interfere with delicate negotiations.” Republican leaders also sharply criticised Senator Kennedv’s statements in a San Francisco television interview in which he accused the deposed Shah of ruling with violence and stealing billions of dollars from Iran. Abandoning his policy of not commenting on the Iranian crisis, Mr Kennedy criticised the Carter Administration for letting the ailing Shah come to the United States “with his umpteen billions of dollars that he has stolen from Iran.” The Republican national chairman, Mr Bill Brock, charged that the senator’s remarks were “careless and irresponsible” and could “send a false message to the leaders in Iran.” The assistant Senate Republican leader, Mr Ted Steivens, of Alaska, also said 1 Mr Kennedy’s statements may have set back efforts to [secure the release of the ! hostages. I Both he and Mr Brock:

(Said their party's Presidential candidates had carefully I refrained from remarks that (could hamper the President’s lefforts to resolve the crisis.

President Carter’s standing jin opinion polls has imi proved since the hostage : crisis began after the seizure lof the United States embassy in Teheran on November

In a remarkable display of unity across the country, political leaders have rallied behind his handling of the crisis. Senator Stevens demanded that Mr Kennedy! should fall into line and refrain from any other comments on Iran while the hostages are held. Senator Robert Dole, a candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination, said he feared Mr Kennedy “wittingly or unwittingly may be providing ammunition for the propagandists of the Ayatollah.” The Iranians have been demanding the extradition of the Shah from the United States to face trial for alleged crimes against the people of the country he ruled for 37 years. The former ruler is now convalescing at a military medical centre near San Antonio, Texas. On related matters, the spokesman said the Libyan Government had apologised for Monday’s attack by proIranian demonstrators on the United States embassy in Tripoli, but the United States found the apology inadequate because it accepted no responsibility for damage or the threat to American lives.

He said the Libyans had failed to meet repeated United States requests for increased protection before the attack, in which the embassy was heavily damaged by fire, and had not offered to pay for rebuilding the mission.

The spokesman said the United States was reviewing its relations with Liyba, an important supplier of oil, and a decision on what steps the United States would take was likely soon.