Congress may probe reports of arms deal for hostages

Press, 10 November 1986, Page 10

Congress may probe reports of arms deal for hostages

NZPA-Reuter Washington

The United States Government today faced the growing possibility of a congressional investigation into reports that it held secret negotiations with Iran as part of efforts to free American hostages.

Leader of both sides in the Senate have added their voices to the chorus of criticism.

The Senate Republican leader, Robert Dole, a staunch Reagan Administration ally, expressed unhappiness about reports that the United States had supplied military equipment to Iran in return for help in securing the release of the hostages.

“My view is we talk to anyone about the hostages, but we do not negotiate with terrorists; we don’t reward terrorists who take American citizens; and we don’t start trading with those who might be responsible for taking hostages,” he said at the week-end. Mr Dole said that if there had been a change in foreign policy Congress should hold hearings into the Administration’s conduct.

The Senate Democrat leader, Robert Byrd, was also critical of President Ronald Reagan for not informing Congress of its efforts to free the hostages. Mr Byrd, who expected to become Senate majority leader after unexpect-

edly large wins by Democrats in last Wednesday’s congressional elections, said he expected Congress to hold hearings. In spite of the concern expressed by Messrs Dole and Byrd, the Senate and House of Representatives are unlikely to take any immediate action as they are in recess until the new Congress convenes early in January.

The secret contacts became public last week with the disclosure by Iran that an official identifying himself as a former National Security Adviser, Robert McFarlane, had made a secret trip to Teheran in an effort to secure the release of American hostages.

Press reports said that neither the Secretary of State, George Shultz, nor Defence Secretary,

Caspar Weinberger, were brought into the arrangement. Militants who. have kidnapped Americans in Lebanon have demanded the release of prisoners jailed for a string of bombings in Kuwait in 1983 as the price for freeing the hostages. Washington has refused publicly to pressure Kuwait to meet the demand.

Press reports have given scant details of the type of military equipment supposed to have been delivered to Iran, mostly mentioning spare parts.

The reports also said the United States may have allowed Israel to provide Iran with arms in return for efforts to secure the release of the hostages. If the reports are confirmed, they would suggest that the Administration had violated two fundamental elements of American foreign policy: that the United States does not negotiate or grant concessions to win freedom for hostages held by terrorists or guerrilla organisations on the grounds that this only encourages further hostagetaking; and that the United States has until now taken a position of neutrality in the protracted Iran-Iraq war, in particular taking steps to ensure that no United States arms reach either side.