Former envoy criticised for Salvador comments

Press, 28 February 1981, Page 9

Former envoy criticised for Salvador comments

NZPA-Reuter Washington The American State Department yesterday criticised a former United States Ambassador to El Salvador for unprecedented public dissent against the Reagan Adniinisiation’s policy towards' the central American country. “I do not consider it a

practice to emulate,” William Dyess said, referring to Congressional evidence on Thursday by the former, envoy, Robert White. Mr Dyess described Mt White as “emotional” on the subject of El Salvador, although: “I don’t mean that necessarily, in a perjorative sense.” Mr" White has repeatedly challenged the Reagan Adniinistration’s assessment that Leftist guerrillas pose the main threat in El Salvador. He said on Thursday that El Salvador’s security forces had killed thousands of people, arid he opposed .sending its Government extensive military aid. Mr Dyess said that since Mr White had such strong views, he should have given them to the committee in secret “In my two decades

• plus in the foreign service, I i don’t recall a single time in ; which a foreign service , officer on duty has gone to the hill (Congress) and in ■ open session made such ■ statements disapproving the • country’s policy. i “A United States Am- : bassador has no mission in any country apart from pur- ’ suing th? policy, of i the administration in : power,” Mr Dyess said. > Mr White, who was as- ■ signed to El Salvador by. the ’ former Carter Adminis- ■ tration and withdrawn last month, has not yet accepted I Secretary of State Alexander Haig’s offer of a job in the State Department’s corps of i inspectors. “I can assure you his rei assignment did not entail, in ■ any degree, vengeance,” Mr ; Dyess said.