News Digest
By the
Associated Press
Edited by Brandon Loomis
Reagan testifies he had no ‘inkling’ of aid
WASHINGTON - Former Presi
dent Reagan testified in a videotaped
deposition released Thursday that he
never “had any inkling” his aides
were secretly arming the Nicaraguan
Contras during a congressional ban
on military aid.
In testimony for the upcoming trial
of John Poindexter, the former presi
dent also said he remained uncon
vinced there had been a diversion of
Iran arms sale money to the rebels --
until prosccutorsconfrontcd him with
the report of the Tower Commission
he appointed.
Reagan said he would have ex
pected Poindexter, his former national
security adviser, to inform him of any
diversion of funds to the Contras
“unless maybe he thought he was
protecting me from something.”
Reagan’s testimony was taken in
Los Angeles last week and made
available in Washington. The former
president was jovial and testy by turns
during eight hours -- winking at Poin
dexter as he took the stand and talking
amiably with the judge but also an
swering in abrupt fashion when Iran
Contra prosecutor Dan Webb said he
wasn’t addressing a question.
He said at numerous points that he
couldn’t recall a date, a name, whether
someone had told him something or
not.
Reagan said decisively that he
agreed with a letter Poindexter sent
Congress saying the White House was
complying with the ban on help for
the Contras - a letter that forms part
of the basis for one charge Poindexter
faces.
But he also said, when told by
prosecutors, that he was learning from
them for the first time that former
National Security Adviser Robert
McFarlanc, Poindexter’s predecessor,
had pleaded guilty to misleading
Congress in the affair.
Reagan testified, “It was my
impression’’ that National Security
Council aide Oliver North’s assis
tance to the Contras was limited to
“communicating back and forth . ..
on the need for the support of the
Contras. ’ ’
“I guess that I had never... had
any inkling that we were guiding their
strategy in any way,” Reagan testi
fied under questioning by Webb.
Asked what he thought North was
doing, Reagan said that “you have to
have people that can be available to
make contact with the leaders of the
Contras . . . sometimes closer than
just writing a letter.”
“It was my understanding because
his name would crop up in memos
and so forth that that’s what he was
doing,” the former president added.
Iran-Contra prosecutors used cross
examination of Reagan to introduce
evidence that Poindexter lied to Re
agan about the secret aid operation
after a C-123 cargo plane was shot
down over Nicaragua during a supply
flight on Oct. 5, 1986.
During his videotaped testimony,
Reagan said he couldn’t recall which
adviser told him about the crash and
said he did not know if pilot Eugene
Hasenfus was connected with North s
secret operation.
Reagan said Thursday that no
one has proven to me” that profits
from secret arms sales to Iran were
diverted to the rebels fighting the
leftist Sandinista government in Nica
ragua.
But later in his testimony Reagan
was confronted with details of the
diversion from the February 1987
Tower Commission report.
‘‘This is the first time that I have
ever seen a reference that actually
specified there was a diversion,”
Reagan said of the much-publicized
report.
“Is this the first time ... that you
came to realize in fact that a diversion
had actually occurred?” asked Webb.
“Yes,” replied Reagan.
Webb asked whether Reagan ex
pected Poindexter to report such a
diversion to his boss.
“Yes,” replied Reagan. ‘‘Unless
maybe he thought he was protecting
me from something.”
At that point Keagan seemed to
lose his train of thought, saying, “Hut,
no, I don’t understand. This is very
confusing to me about this.”
Reagan grew testy with Webb, who
told U.S. District Court Judge Harold
Greene that the former president had
not answered his question. Reagan
retorted that he was trying to be re
sponsive.
He said he “assured everybody
that we would have to abide by the
law” during the ban on Contra mili
tary aid.
Reagan also testified under oath
that he never authorized Poindexter
to obstruct congressional inquiries into
the Iran-Contra affair or to destroy
documents.
He said he was never told that
North had destroyed Iran-Contra
documents, an act for which the for
mer aide was convicted of a felony
last year.
“I don’t know when it would have
been told to me or I would have
known,” Reagan said when asked
about when he found out about the
1985 Hawk shipment. “ 1, some place
along the line, acquired that knowl
edge, and I don’t know from whom or
where.”
■ 1 " i
Reagan
Iranian newspaper calls for freeing hostages
as an Islamic and humanitarian consideration
NICOSIA, Cyprus - An Iranian
newspaper close to President Hash cm i
Rafsanjani said Thursday all 18
Western hostages in Lebanon should
be freed because they have become a
propaganda tool for Iran’s enemies.
Most of the captives arc believed
held by kidnappers loyal to Iran.
“Regardless of the West’s propa
ganda ploys, Moslem forces, out of
Islamic and humanitarian considera
tions, should work to get the hostages
free with no precondition,” the Eng
lish-language Tehran Times said in
an editorial, parts of which were car
ried by Iran’s official Islamic Repub
lic News Agency.
It was the first known statement by
an Iranian newspaper in support of
freeing all the hostages, whose fate is
believed linked to a power struggle
within the Iranian government
Eight Americans, four Britons, an
Irishman, an Italian, two West Ger
mans and two Swiss citizens are cap
lives in Lebanon.
Terry Anderson, 42, has been held
the longest. He is chief Middle East
correspondent of The Associated Press
and was abducted March 16, 1985.
Anderson’s sister, Peggy Say, was
in Damascus, Syria, on Thursday as
part of a lour with an Associated Press
delegation to seek the hostages’ re
lease.
* +
I consider that Iran is not part of the
problem, but part of the solution.”
Arafat told Say in ihcir meeting
last week that Rafsanjani had the
greatest influence with the kidnap
pers, but hard-liners in the Iranian
government limited his room for
— mm
They should regard the hostages as victims
of imperialist policies of the West and make
attempts to get them all freed.
Tehran Times
English-Language newspaper
Among leaders with whom she has
met arc Javier Perez de Cuellar, the
U.N. secretary-general; Pope John Raul
II, and Yasser Arafat, chairman of the
Palestine Liberation Organization.
Attempts to see Iranian leaders have
failed.
Asked in Damascus about the
Tehran Times editorial. Say said: “I
am deeply grateful. It is encouraging.
w w
maneuver.
In its editorial, the Tehran Times
said the struggle against Western
influence in the Middle East was
legitimate and should continue, but
that all forces in Lebanon should work
to free hostages of whatever national
ity.
“They should regard the hostages
as victims of imperialist policies of
the West and make attempts to get
them all freed,” it said. “Maybe 1990
will be the year for the release of all
the hostages.”
It repeated Rafsanjani’s demand
for the release of Iran’s charge d’af
faires in Beirut, Mohsen Musavi, and
three other embassy staff members
kidnapped in north Lebanon in July
1982 by members of the Lebanese
Forces, a Christian militia. All four
arc believed dead.
Lebanese Forces commander Samir
Geagea said in August 1988 he found
no trace of the men after taking over
the militia in 1986. Geagea blamed
his predecessor, Elic Hobeika, for
their disappearance and apparent
murder.
Rafsanjani has offered to help free
the Western hostages.
In August 1989, he said there were
“reasonable, prudent solutions” to
the problem. Two months later,
Rafsanjani said he would not try to
get them released unless the United
States freed billions of dollars in Ira
nian assets frozen in 1979.
, E. German official calls concerns valid
Reduced German military suggested
EAST BERLIN - The two Ger
many's should reduce their combined
military by two-thirds when they unite,
and some U.S. and Soviet soldiers
should remain during the unification
process, the East German defense
minister said Thursday.
Adm. Theodor Hoffmann said the
armed forces should be purely defen
sive and both slates should remain in
their respective alliances until they
are reunited under a new European
security system.
West Germany belongs to NATO
and East Germany is in the Soviet-led
Warsaw Pact. About 380,(XX) Soviet
soldiers are stationed in East Ger
many and NATO has more than
300,(XX) in West Germany, including
about 250,000 Americans.
Hoffmann said a joint German
military should be reduced to about
300,000 men initially, and later to
150,(XX)-200,(XX).
All three services - army, navy
and air force -- should be retained
because all arc essential to defense,
he told a news conference.
Gen. Hans Dcim, East Germany’s
delegate to Vienna talks on reduction
of conventional forces, told the re
porters anything over 300,000 men
“would cause security concerns of
our neighbors, especially France and
Poland.”
Wcsl Germany has 490,(XX) mili
tary personnel and EaslGcrmany says
its armed forces have shrunk from
170,(XK) men to 100,000 in recent
months.
Until a new European system sup
plants NATO and the Warsaw Pact,
Hoffman said, U.S. and Soviet sol
diers should remain on German terri
tory “even if this becomes symbolic
at a certain time.”
The United States and Soviet Union
have agreed to reduce their troop
strength in central Europe to 195,()(X)
each. Most of the reductions will be
made in Germany.
Keeping some U.S. and Soviet
troops until unification under a new
security system would create stabil
ity in Europe, Hoffman said. He de
scribed fears of a hasty union as justi
fied.
“Although unification is unstop
pable, it is going faster than the proc
ess of uniting all of Europe,” and
Europeans have “legitimate security
concerns” about it, the defense min
ister said.
“Our neighbors have had bitter
experiences with a united Germany,”
he added, recalling the two world
wars of this century.
Talks with the West German mili
tary on merging forces could begin
soon after East Germany’s first free
elections arc held March 18 and a
new government is formed, Hoffman
said.
The victorious World War II Al
lies - the United States, Soviet Un
ion, Britain and France -- have agreed
on a two-stage plan for reunification.
After talks between the Germanys
on merging their political, economic
and legal systems, the four powers
arc to join them for discussions of the
international ramifications.
Some Europeans worry about the
formula, called “two plus four,’’ and
Poland wants a peace treaty guaran
teeing its borders. On Thursday, Brit
ain expressed support for the Polish
demand.
Poland also has demanded a role
in the “two plus four” talks, and on
Thursday, government spokesman
Wolfgang Meyer repeated East Ger
many’s agreement.
One-third of what is now Poland
belonged to Germany before World
War II, and the Poles arc concerned
about possible German territorial
claims.
De Klerk accepts
ANC proposal for
formal negotiations
JOHANNESBURG, South
Africa - PresidentF.W. de Klerk
on Thursday accepted a pro
posal by the African National
Congress to send a delegation
for the first formal talks be
tween the white government and
its foremost adversary.
The ANC’s commitment to
dialogue “is a positive step,”
reflecting a desire to “search
for solutions through peaceful
means," said de Klerk, who lifted
a 30-year ban on the guerrilla
movement three weeks ago.
De Klerk also made his first
public statement on a contro
versy involving Defense Minis
ter Magnus Maun, who has been
linked in press reports to a se
cret military unit that allegedly
assassinated anti-apartheid ac
tivists.
The president, interviewed
by the stale-run TV network,
said the allegations would be
thoroughly investigated by a
judicial commission. He criti
cized the press for conducting a
“trial by media” and praised
the role of the security forces in
saving South Africa from
“anarchy and chaos.”
Opposition political leaders
demanded Malan’s resignation
and urged de Klerk to ensure
that no cover-up takes place.
Malan, in statements this
week, denied having ordered as
sassinations but did not rule out
the possibility the unit may have
committed such acts. He pledged
the military would not interfere
with any investigations.
The Star newspaper ot Johan
nesburg quoted sources as say
ing Malan had been aware of
the unit at least since 1987.
Police investigators have said
in court papers that members of
the unit, called the Civil Coop
eration Bureau, are suspected
of involvement in the assassina
tions last year of David Web
ster, a Johannesburg human rights
activist, and Anton Lubowksi, a
civil rights lawyer and pro-in
dependence activist in Namibia.
De Klerk last month ordered
a judicial inquiry into charges
that military and police squads
murdered government oppo
nents, The commission is ex
pected to investigate the unsolved
killings of at least 60 acti vists in
the past decade.
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