Reagan urges rejection of Democrats’ plan

Press, 5 March 1988, Page 11

Reagan urges rejection of Democrats’ plan

NZPA-Reuter Washington President Reagan issued an appeal to Congress yesterday urging legislators to reject a Denjocratic package of aid for Nicaragua’s Contra rebels and to approve a Republican alternative plan instead.

Democratic leaders i i the House of Represet - fives predicted victory in voting! toddy on their $3O 5 million package. “We’ll do. better: than last time." Congressman Tony j Coelho, the (hireranking House Democrat, told reporters, referrir g to th'e House's 21.9-2: 1 vote a month ago rejecting Mr Reagan’s request for hewi military aid other |aid.' If the Democrats w n approval of their packagje, it will then go to the Senate for a vote, which could I occur later this monttj. ‘ i Mr i Reagan, in a letter to the House Republican leader, Robert Michael, issued by the White House as the President flew home from a N.A.T 0. summit in Brussels, called yesterday’s aclioh “a watershed in our policies toward’ Central America." He said the Democr; tic plan; would mean a sharp drop in the number ol Contjras fighting Nicaragua’s Leftist Sandin sta Government and wculd deny him the opportunity

to seek quick legislative action on new military aid for the rebels if peace talks broke down.

5U536.25 million of new military and other aid to the rebels was rejected by the House a month ago, has lobbied for the Republican plan by telephone from Brussels, where he was attending a N.A.T.O. summit.

“Without such provision it is quite obvious that all the Sandinistas have to do is play a waiting game instead of bargaining seriously with their internal opponents and democratic neighbours," he wrote. , The Democrats, led by the House Speaker, Jim Wright, have scheduled a first vote today on their 5U530.5 million nonmilitary aid plan. Only if that fails will a $U536.25 million Republican version come up for a vote. Republican leaders accused Mr Wright of reneging on a promise last week to allow consideration of their package and i charged him with "abuse ! of the legislative process." Despite possible opposition to the Democratic plan by some liberal Democrats who oppose all Contra aid. the leadership package was expected to win narrow approval in the 435-member chamber. ! President Reagan, jwhose request for

Many legislators, while opposed to arming the rebels, do not want to cut them off completely, arguing that some kind of aid would maintain pressure on Nicaragua’s Leftist Sandinista Government to comply with a Central American peace plan. Earlier yesterday, Mr I Reagan’s national security adviser, Colin Powell, attacked the Democratic aid package, which would provide food, clothing and medicine to the rebels. . “The Democratic package ... is not acceptable! to us,” Mr Powell said in a television interview.

He said the package “does not give the right kind ol aid” and would not give Mr Reagan the option, should the situation in Nicaragua worsen, to seek new military aid at a later date.