From: David Sangurima <sangu@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Date: 05 Oct 92 18:36 PDT
Subject: IPS:Iran-Contra Re-surfaces in elec
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1473800331:000:3831
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!sangu    Oct  5 18:36:00 1992


From: David Sangurima <sangu>
Subject: IPS:Iran-Contra Re-surfaces in election

/* Written 12:04 am  Sep 29, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "UNITED STATES: IRAN-CONTRA GHOST HA" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Middle East; Latin America; Disarmament & Peace
Title: UNITED STATES: IRAN-CONTRA GHOST HAUNTS BUSH


washington 25 sep (ips) -- the 1986 iran-contra scandal has
resurfaced during the past few days, adversely affecting u.s.
president george bush's already low-spirited reelection campaign,
even though he has denied any knowledge of the controversial arms
deal.

the president's insistence that he had nothing to do with the
covert sale of arms to iran in exchange for the release of
hostages in lebanon in 1986, has been categorically denied by one
of the masterminds of the operation, richard secord.

in interviews with the press, secord repeated that, as
vice-president, bush not only was informed of the operation, but
also insisted in discussions with then president ronald reagan
that the u.s. government should go ahead with the arms deal.

the white house has rejected secord's statements and said that
they reveal ''no new elements''.

at the time iran was accused of terrorism, which motivated a
congressional ban on trade with the islamic country. the
operation was done throuh israeli agents.

the proceeds from the iran deal were used to supply arms to
the resistance movement in nicaragua (contras), despite
congressional restrictions on military aid to the opponents of
the then sandinista government.

secord had been in charge of supervising the arm shipments to
iran and had participated in the delivery of the war equipment to
the nicaraguan contras, whose eight-year war against the
sandinista government was financed by the united states.

the former army official pleaded guilty to the lesser charge
of lying to the congress, in exchange for his collabaration with
the public prosecutor who is investigating the scandal. he
recently published a book about the case.

secord's statements corroborate notes by the former defence
secretary of the reagan administration, casper weinberger, which
reveal that bush was present at meetings in which the deal was
discussed.

prior to this, bush had assured the press that he had always
been kept outside the ambit of the management of the operation
which, when it became public in 1987, provoked the worst scandal
in the reagan administration's history.

in his notes weinberger, who faces charges of lying to the
congress and to the courts about the operation, critizes bush's
position in the operation. (more)
----


the ex-secretary of defence was, according to his notes,
against the arms deal, while bush promoted it.

the interest in bush's participation in the scandal has grown
with the attempts of the opposition democratic candidate, bill
clinton, to cast doubts about bush's character.

clinton has been dogged by references by the governing
republican party and the press about his dodging of military
service during the vietnam war.

the ruling party has accused clinton of lying to the public
when he explained how he avoided enrolment in the military. they
contend that he achieved this by using family connections and
political influences.

the democratic hopeful has tried to counter doubts about the
way he avoided enrolment in the war by questioning bush's
intervention in the iran-contra scandal.

his campaign has worked. recent polls shows that more than 60
of the voters disagree with bush's explanation of his
participation in the deal, even though analysts feel it will not
influence the results of the nov. 3 elections.
(end/ips/trd/so/mas-ug/ih/kb/92)
----