Haig refuses to rule out Nicaragua action

Press, 14 November 1981, Page 8

Haig refuses to rule out Nicaragua action

NZPA-Reuter Washington

The American Secretary of State (Mr Alexander Haig) yesterday refused to rule out the possibility of American involvement in efforts to overthrow or destabilise Nicaragua's Leftist Government.

But Mr Haig did repeat President Reagan's assurance at a news conference this week that the United States was not planning to send American forces into combat.

Mr Haig told a congressional committee that the situation in Nicaragua was “very, very disturbing." He said a continuing flow of Soviet bloc arms into Nicaragua would give it an unacceptable military capability “that can only be a force for aggression and the expansion of marxist-Lenin-ist policies in the hemisphere.” The Secretary of State was asked if he could provide

Congress with an assurance that the United States was not now involved, nor would be, in efforts to overthrow or destabilise the Cuban-backed Sandinista regime in Nicaragua.

“No, I would not give you such an assurance," he replied.

“But that must not be interpreted by mischievious inquisitors as articulation of our policy one way or the other ... I think merely it would be a self-defeating statement by a responsible executive branch official.”

Nicaragua's armed forces remained on maximum alert in Nicaragua yesterday because of what they say is the danger of invasion by American forces.

Nicaragua announced a state of maximum combat readiness last week-end after remarks by Mr Haig that Washington was considering some kind of action to halt the alleged flow of arms from Cuba through Nicara-

gua to Leftist guerrillas in El Salvador.

On other issues. Mr Haig told the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives yesterday: • No decision, even in principle, has yet been made to supply new warplanes to Taiwan, a move that China has warned could result in the down-grading of Wash-ington-Peking ties.

• The United States intends to support an initiative by the Organisation of African Unity to put a peace-keeping force in Chad following withdrawal of Libyan troops. • The United States places top priority on a peaceful solution to Morocco's desert war with Pojisario guerrillas backed by Algeria and Libya. But Mr Haig said the nature of the conflict had changed with the supply of advanced weapons to the Polisario and America's relations with Morocco required the United States to be sympathetic.