European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 20, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Paga 10 column the stars and stripes sunday March 20, 1968 James Lemoyne honduran face off is result of calculated risks san Jose Costa Rica the Reagan administration s decision to Send More than 3,000 troop to Hon Duras is so far largely a symbolic gesture of support for Honduras after a sandinista attack on Contra bases along the Border according to diplomats in the Region. But the situation is volatile. Honduran air Force Jet bombed sandinista positions along the Border thurs Day and heavy fighting reportedly continued Between cont and sandinista units inside Honduras. The sandinista have surface to air missiles and such Hon. Duran air raids could result in the shooting Down of a honduran plane. Nicaraguan troops entered Honduras several Days ago to destroy Large stockpiles of equipment that the United states has provided the rebels at their base inside Honduras according to rebel officials and diplomats the raid comes As sandinista and rebel resonators arc preparing for peace talks next week in Supra Nicaragua. For the moment neither the Reagan administration nor the honduran government appears politically Able or willing to Send troops to die fighting the sandinista in an Effort to support the contras. Instead inc military moves in Washington and Honduras seem intended As a warning to Nicaragua thai in runs a risk in entering Honduras. But once again demonstrating their willingness to Gamble to defeat the contras the sandinista appear to have decided that the rebels Are weak and that thesis the time Loca a Washington s Bluff and strike the rebels hard. The sandinista Ore showing considerable Talent i achieving their goal of destroying the contras. They have combined promises of political liberalization in . Rosenthal Side Nicaragua to woo the . Congress with crackdown on opposition parties and now the attack against the con Raj knowing that Congress he Cut off their Aid and that the rebels must come to peace talks in a weakened position. The sandinista have made a careful calculation and decided this attack was Worth the risk said a Diplomat Here. Afler a sandinista attack inside Honduras in March 1986, he administration also issued Strong warning Sand want american helicopters to the Border but did not try to engage he sandinista in combat but it remains possible thai if the nicaraguan Allacc continue the adminis Anition will decide that stronger action ii necessary 10 Slop the sandinista from destroying the rebel supplies. Any military Esca lation however a Likely 10 be so controversial that Washington will be dissuaded from further action. The Costa rican president Oscar Arias Sander criticized the nicaraguan raid As a blow to the peace process in Centra America saying that it indicated the sandinista Are More interested in destroying the con iras than negotiating with hem. The attack is a political embarrassment Tor Honduras which has insisted thai then Are no rebel base inside Honduras and that the honduran government ii observing the terms of the Central american peace treaty which Calls for an end to outside Aid to rebels. The attack is also a setback for the guerrillas because they have been forced to act like a conventional Armand defend fined positions against a Superior Force the Contra continued Reliance on fixed Borders arts inside Honduras is an indication that they still have not fully transformed themselves into a Mobile guerrilla Force Able to survive on its own. Contra officials said that fighting continued inside Honduras Between about 700 rebels and More lhan2,000 sandinista in the isolated Border area of Olan Cho department near the intersection of the Boca and Coco overs a major rebel logistical area. The sandinista have heavily bombarded the Art where the rebels also maintain two Field clinics and where More than 4.000 civilian relatives of Contr fighters live according la rebel officials a rebel spokesman said that at Ichisi 10 contras have been kilted and �0 wounded in what appears to be heavy fighting. After the House Defeated a democratic Aid package two weeks ago effectively cutting off Aid to the con tras the rebels appear lob in a highly vulnerable position they cannot afford to lose the estimated 300,000 Pound of equipment that they have Stock piled at Border Sites in the Are of fighting. The reaction to the Sandi Nisly attack offers an unusual look at underlying political conditions of the american backed rebel War against the sandinista. In what amounts loan informal but politically bind ing Security pact the administration has repeatedly told Honduras that whenever the sandinista Cross the Border to attack the rebels the United slates will do whatever is necessary to reassure Honduras of Ameri can commitment to its Security. The United states commitment to assist Honduras in this Way appears to be a direct Conse Quence of the policy of convincing Honduras to sup port the contras. If democrats deadlock Cuomo won t say no picking a democratic nominee from the convention galleries putting aside the candidates who went through the primaries would be a terrible mis take. It would be the Best Way to give the election away to the republicans. If people like Mario Cuomo wanted to be president they should have run in the primaries. That is what Mario Cuomo himself said on to to the magnificent Ted Koppel gov Cuomo docs not say much he does not intend to say. He knows every thing can be quoted Back it him. The problem was that he said in so Well leaped through the to with such humor intelligence Grace and Power that immediately everybody in the room said inc same thing he s terrific better than the others Why in t he running what is the big mystery when he officially pulled out of Contention in february 1987, Cuomo did say that he thought it in the Best interests of his stale part and family. The answer did not really sound like Mano too Stuffy which May be Why it never Sank in. So in Nomine Populis 1 called Cuomo and said please explain one More Lime slowly and clearly Why you arc not running now for the democratic Nomi nation which you could have if you got out of your chair and ask a for it and clearly Cuomo recounted a Story. Back in 1984, two years after first being elected us governor he called Michael Orestes then Albany Bureau chief of the new York time. He said he Wai going to give him a Story i hat his editors would put on he front Page. He did and they did. The governor told on ikes that he would Noi run Foric Elc Clion in 1986 if he Lead decided 10 seek the presi Dency in 1988. Cuomo did indeed want to run for governor in 1986. He Lold me he gave that Story to Orestes so that in 1987, when presidential nomination talk started again he could my i already have said no and i mean i knew i could not do a Good Job As governor if had to spend 130 Days in Iowa and All that time in the yes but that was facing a year and a half of campaigning. Now there is no Clear Leader and Only four months until the convention. Would new York col lapse without him in four months look 1 called Mike Dukakis and urged him to run. And Lold Paul Simon he should get into in. And i Tordai Gore that he should gel in and could t lose if not president maybe vice president and anyway show himself to the country As smart and National. 1 told those people i would not run and my word Means something to i forgot to ask Why he thought gov. Dukakis could be spared for so Long from the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts while new York would Suiter so Dir Ely without Cuomo. But i did ask what he tells people who say he is no doing his duty because they think he is belter than the other candidates. I know myself. I am Noi better. We look better than hey do Bill Bradley Sam Nunn and me. That is be cause we Are not running and have it easy. Bradley goes in As a celebrity. Sam does great with the arms Issue. I am governor of new York and have the new York papers and to giving me we Don t have to do what the candidates do talk about huge issues in 30 seconds in a Field somewhere trying to nuke sure cow Doit i urinate on our shoes. Know exactly who i am and 1 am no better than they then i called mayor de Koch who keeps Sayin Cuomo will probably be the candidate and told him what inc governor had said about promises and How he was no better than he of hrs. Lih huh Koch Laid yeah sure. Then the mayor gave his opinion of the other democratic candidates a Bunch of weak at the democratic convention or before said the mayor uie delegates and the party will turn to Mario Cuomo maybe Bill Bradley probably Mario and he would Nocturn in Down. In this democratic race the mayor said not running was the Best Way to run and win and Mario knows in if you watch and listen he never excludes a draft and be would take i believe the governor s explanation. A matter of Honor. One pledge to the people of new York who would let him am of it. Another to the candidates who would t
