Unapologetic Carter pledges all-out bid for hostages

Press, 1 May 1980, Page 8

Unapologetic Carter pledges all-out bid for hostages

NZPA-Reute.r Washington President 1 ; Carter . has pledged to Mo all he can to resolve the . Iran hostage crisis through peaceful means, but.he has no apology for launching the military rescueoperation that failed last .yreek... Mr Carter, who bitterly denounced Iranian j militants for their C’Vghoulish”' action in displaying the ' bodies of Americans'killed in the raid, aaid that at least he had tried to free the innocent kidnap victims in Teheran. He was--' speaking at a press conference a few hours after he announced he was nominating Senator Edmund Muskie .as Secretary of State to succeed Mr Cyrus Vance, who resigned because he could not . support the rekcue, operation. The President 'Warned.lran not to take-reprisals against the 50 American’s held hostage since November 4, and did not rule out any action he might deem necessary to secure their release. •

His emphasis was '.'on: peaceful actions, despite, the difficulties’ Of dealing with what he called a Government that had sponsored a Crime. He did not repeat a state-

riient.rhe made' at .his previous press-conference two weeks ago that military action seemed to be the only step available to him to end the crisis. '-

The grim-faced President -was subdued,' and his responses to most of the questions were low-keyed. But his rage broke through; when he talked about how. - the bodies of the eight dead Americans had been displayed; in the compound of the United States Embassy in Teheran.

Recalling that a busload of Iranians detained near the commandos’ desert landing site had not been harmed, the President declared: ■ “This is in sharp contrast to the ghoulish action of the terrorists and some of the Government officials in Iran

. ;'. who displayed; in a horrible exhibition of inhumanity, the bodies of our courageous Americans.” The President-'went,; on: “This 'has' aroused the disgust and contempt of the r.es.t, of the world and; indicates. quite clearly the kind* of people with whom' we 'have been dealing in a 4 peaceful effort to secure a resolution of the crisis. ........ ■ “They-did not bring shame

and dishonour,-on those fallen Americans. ‘They brought shame and dishonour ; on themselves.” Defending his decision to go ahead with the raid and dealing with sharp questions about the reasons for its collapse when three helicopters broke down in the Iranian desert, Mr Carter said there was a deeper failure than incomplete success. “That is a failure to attempt a worthy effort, a failure to try,” he said. “We will not forget our . hostages. We will continue to. take what steps are necessary to secure their early release

“We want this issue to be settled, but we cannot deal with; inhumane people who have no respect for international law, who violate the tenets of their'own religion ...”

Mr Carter made it clear he expected West European allies to join the United States in imposing economic sanctions, against Iran, as the European Economic Communi cty said it would if there ‘Was no decisive' progress, in the hostage crisis by May 17. Mr Carter’s choice of Senator Muskie as Secretaryof

State, was unexpected but received widespread, approval in Congress. The 66-year-old Mr Muskie, a Presidential candidate in 1972, immediately pledged that he would pursue peaceful means in trying to end the hostage crisis. He said he would'not have accepted his new post unless he believed a solution could be found that way. ■ The choice of a liberal and moderate for the key post of Secretary of State 'was .seen as a signal that United States foreign policy would not take a belligerent turn after, the protest resignation of Mr, Vance. Mr Carter said that the men who attempted to rescue American hostages were nearly unanimous in asking him to be given a chance to try again. • t He did not say what he had responded to the request for a second rescue effort.