Policies misguided — Mondale

Press, 14 April 1984, Page 10

Policies misguided — Mondale

NZPA-‘N.Y. Times’ San Diego, Walter Mondale has accused President Ronald Reagan of pursuing “misguided” and "blundering” policies in Central America that could lead the United States into war. It was Mr Mondale’s strongest attack yet on the Administration’s policies in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras. The candidate for the Democratic Presidential nominations said that Mr Reagan’s “policies are widening, militarising, and

Americanising the conflict every day.” He said that, in the light of disclosures about the mining of Nicaragauan harbours directed by the Central Intelligence Agency, Mr Reagan’s policies were, “misguided and counter-pro-ductive.” “If this pattern of irresponsibility and deception continues, I predict America could be involved in a fullscale war in Central America,” he said at a news conference in San Diego, California. It was ‘utterly irrespon-.

sible and counter-produc-tive” for the Administration to refuse to accept the International Court of Justice’s jurisdiction in the Nicaraguan dispute. “If Mr Reagan continues his blundering course, ultimately American troops will be fighting in Central America,” Mr Mondale said. The United States should end what he called the covert war against Nicaragua, including harbour minings, and condition aid to El Salvador on the elimination of death squads and human rights improvements.

He called for the withdrawal of United States combat troops from Honduras with the retention of “non-combat personnel there.” Mr Mondale had previously urged the deployment of United States military personnel in Honduras but, in recent weeks, under pressure from Gary Hart, his rival for the nomination, who seeks the pull-out of all combat troops, the former Vice-President has altered his position to calling for the deployment of non-com-bat personnel only.