April 9, 1986 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 7049 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS NO MATTER WHO WINS CONTRA ran territory, the US had had problems in The U.S. ambassador to Honduras, John VOTE, HONDURAS LOSES delivering the "nonlethal" aid <referring to Ferch, says that "the Honduran govern­ $27 million Congress approved last August). ment has never asked the U.S. government But many of the supply difficulties have what it would do with the contras if they HON. LANE EVANS been resolved. were running around the country. The only OF ILLINOIS Foreign Minister Carlos L6pez Contreras's way I know the Hondurans are concerned IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES response that "officially" Honduras "is not, about this is be reading the international nor will be, a sanctuary nor will it be used to press." Wednesday, April 9, 1986 channel aid to insurgent groups," met weary "There is no real solution to this prob­ Mr. EVANS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, although skepticism among observers here. lem,'' argues one local political analyst, "We we have won a battle on the issue of military "By adding the world 'officially,'" a senior can't send them [contras] elsewhere, we European diplomat says, "[L6pez] seems to can't accept them as refugees, and we can't aid to the Contras, the war in a very real be saying almost as clearly as can be said give them jobs. The government would have sense continues in Congress and, more im­ that unofficially [Honduras] has agreed" to no option but to push them into Nicaragua portantly, in Central America. facilitate contra aid. militarily. It would be a difficult situation." During my visit to Honduras last May, it was Honduras's readiness to help US policy­ "Sending the contras off and hoping they clear that United States policy toward Nicara­ makers in their campaign against Nicara­ will never come back is every Honduran's gua is having an enormous impact on Hondu­ gua's ruling Sandinistas "has damaged Hon­ dream," suggests one European diplomat. ras. The site of United States troop maneu­ duras's image in Latin America," a Hondu­ But as long as Honduras depends so heavily vers and home base to the Contras, Honduras ran Foreign Ministry official says. Contin­ on U.S. economic and military assistance, he ued US aid to the contras, he adds, "would adds, "no one believes it will happen." is the linchpin for United States policy in the put us in a very difficult position interna­ region. Therefore, I would recommend the fol­ tionally," because everyone believes Shultz's lowing article on the impact of this vote on word over that of L6pez. C-SPAN: A CREDIT TO TV Honduras to the attention of my colleagues. "The weight of US policy is heavY in all The article follows: small countries, particularly in the £US's] HON. JACK F. KEMP £From the Christian Science Monitor, Mar. backyard. Honduran policy will continue un­ 14, 1986] changed," he says. Honduras is the US's OF NEW YORK closest regional ally. In 1985, the US sent IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES No MATTER WHO WINS CONTRA VoTE, more than $261 million in economic and HONDURAS LoSES military aid. Wednesday, April 9, 1986 <By Peter Ford> This official's fears were shared by Carlos Mr. KEMP. Mr. Speaker, we are all aware of TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS.-No matter who Roberto Reina, a leading dissident in the the power of television to educate and inform, wins the battle in Congress over President ruling Liberal Party. "Honduran foreign Reagan's request for aid to the Nicaraguan policy over the past four years has suffered as well as to entertain. Certainly, the leader in "contras," there will be one sure loser: Hon­ from a lot of inexactitudes,'' Mr. Reina says. realizing television's potential to serve the duras. "If we maintain this duality of words and public is the Cable Satellite Public Affairs Net­ This view is shared by diplomats and ob­ deeds, it will give Honduras the worst possi­ work, best known as C-SPAN. Since its servers here as well as Honduran officials in ble image." founding in 1977, C-SPAN has provided a private conversations. Should the $100 million not be forthcom­ lesson to the American people in the workings If Congress gives the go-ahead for the ing <$70 million in military assistance and of our Government and about the issues­ $100 million in aid requested, attention $30 million humanitarian), President Jose both great and small-that demand our atten­ would focus on Honduras, where many of Axcona Hoyo may have more than an image the contras are widely acknowledged to be problem on his hands: the presence of sever­ tion. For this, we owe a great deal of thanks based. Such a major influx of aid would be al thousand armed Nicaraguans in his coun­ to Brian Lamb, C-SPAN's founder and chair­ tough to hide, making it difficult for Hon­ try. man. duras to maintain credibly its official line Armed forces spokesman Napoleon Santos While C-SPAN is probably best known for that there are no contras in Honduras and says the Army "is aware of the problem, and its live coverage of House proceedings, it also that it has no knowledge of supplies going a little fearful of it." He insists, officially, carries congressional committee hearings, to the contras. that there are no contras in Honduras. He call-in programs that allow viewers to talk If the aid is rejected, Honduran officials says that if the contras were in disarray, one-on-one with today's news makers, and say privately, the contra army may begin to "they could not stay here armed. They break up, posing a threat to law and order would have to accept being disarmed, or important meetings of State and local officials. in Honduras. The main contra force, the they would be acting against our security." In addition, C-SPAN has been the only televi­ Honduras-based Nicaraguan Democratic "This is a preoccupation here that the sion news organization that has provided Force <FDN), is estimated to have between contras might be left without food, without gavel-to-gavel coverage of recent presidential 12,000 to 18,000 fighters. clothes, or medicine," adds Roberto Suazo nominating conventions. "This year will be the final straight," says Tome, the Foreign Ministry official respon­ In recognition of C-SPAN's unique niche in FDN spokesman Frank Arana. Although sible for Central American affairs. the medium of television, I commend to my confident that Congress will approve the Whether Honduras would seek a military colleagues' attention an article written by military aid to his fighters, he also says or diplomatic solution to the contra pres­ Robert Walters which appeared in the Febru­ "this will be the last money. We have to win ence or whether this would be feasible is un­ or lose this year." clear. Honduran officials speak hopefully of ary 25, 1986, edition of the Washington Recent statements by U.S. officials, in­ dispersing rebels around other Central Times. cluding Secretary of State George Shultz American countries or of persuading the [From the Washington Times, Feb. 25, and Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, U.S. to take them. 1986] have drawn embarrassing attention to Hon­ Foreign observers doubt this would be ac­ C-SPAN: A CREDIT TO TV duras's relations with the FDN. Mr. Wein­ ceptable to the potential host governments. berger, speaking before a congressional com­ "In the long term that might be one of the <By Robert Walters) mittee March 5, said Honduras actively sup­ things the Hondurans hope the U.S. would "The instrument can teach, it can illumi­ ports the contra war effort and "from time do," comments a Western diplomat. "But I nate," pioneer television journalist Edward to time" serves as a resupply point. can't see the U.S. administration seeing that R. Murrow once said in explaining the awe­ A day earlier, Mr. Shultz said that because as a popular thing to do in the States, quite some potential of his medium. Honduras stopped <in October> all transfer apart from it being a confession of the fail­ "It can even inspire," Mr. Murrow added. of supplies to the contras through Hondu- ure of its contra policy." "But it can do so only to the extent that e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. 7050 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS April9, 1986 humans are determined to use it to those elated by viewers seeking innovative pro­ GENTLE PERSUASION ends. Otherwise, it is merely lights and gramming. How has one man almost singlehandedly wires in a box." "C-SPAN brings us as close to pure de­ persuaded members of the community to Unfortunately, Mr. Murrow's employer mocracy as anything we have known," says donate some $100,000 to purchase a home? and the other commercial television net­ an illinois follower. "It is a university ... "It's unthinkable to say 'no' to Bob works have severely restricted their role as for all of us to attend, learn, and form our Cohen," says Melvin Cohen, whose friend­ providers of inspiration and illumination, own opinions to keep alive the free ex­ ship with Bob dates back some 40 years to opting instead to dispense least-common-de­ change of ideas," a Massachusetts C-SPAN their college days at the University of Penn­ nominator entertainment.