European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 13, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 28 the stars and stripes saturday May 13,1989 Secord indicted by ii Ballimore Sun Washington Richard v. Scr re tin up Conli h he Oliver . Etc Man North to run guns operation has been accuse grand jury ind Gress and Chstr signal Vestiga the nine nov round of Crim Cord. Secord. Iuliu Iii us a to Complex Money and in the Iran Contra affair j in a nine count Federal re rent of lying to con acting the 1987 Congo is Ion of that scandal charges were the second Nal charges against so 6, a retired air Force accused of com silting perjury before the joint congressional committees that investigated the i bin Contra matter. Secord worked out the details of the Iran Contra ulc Prisc As those involved called it to sell arms secretly to Iran to Supply he Contra rebels in Nicaragua weapons and to finance the enlist operation with $47 Mil lion channelled through hidden Swiss Bank accounts. Jhc indictment said. Some of tha profits from the secret arms deals wifi Iran were diverted to buy arms for file contras and Secord according to me indictment was involved with the entire Enterprise. The indictment issued thursday accused Secord of lying to Congress repeat edly about the Mie facts of the Money arrangements Anil said that he personally received More thin $1 million in profits. If convicted tin All nine charges. Secord could pet 4_s years in prison and $2.251i.oou in fines a won t fight agent Orange Benefit ruling Washington not the department of veterans affairs announced thursday it would not Appeal a Federal court decision that May require it to pay disability benefits to thousands of Veter ans exposed to the chemical defoliant agent Orange. The Issue now to be decided is whether veterans claiming service connected disability payments will be Able to collect monthly payments of up to $1,400 for full disabilities. Secretary of veterans affairs Edward j. Derwinski told a news conference he will proceed with proposed new regulations for handling agent Orange disability claims by june and Hopes to have final rules in place by october. The regulations for agent Orange claims had required that there be a proved cause and effect relationship be tween exposure to the defoliant and its toxic component dioxin and a disease. Derwinski said thursday that the department would follow the orders of a i ederal judge in san Francisco wednes Day to base claims on the lower Standard of statistically significant correlation Between dioxin and such diseases Asma Lignante tutors in soft tissues Lymphomas not caused in Hodgem s disease and deficiencies in Luer . In the past the Agency had granted Dis ability claims Only for chloral no a Che Mically induced skin rash. It had granted five claims for chloral no. As of last month 34,661 veterans had filed claims for service connected disability payments for disorders they believed were caused by exposure to spraying with agent Orange. The herbicide was widely sprayed in Vietnam from 1%5 to 1970 to destroy foliage. A Convoy carry ing troops and supplies from the 7lh i fit inf div moves out of fort Ord Calif., on its Way to Panama. Panama from Page 1 congressional leaders thursday morn ing to discuss the . Response an they predicted Strong support for his actions in the House and Senate. Bush answering questions from re porters after his statement said 1,881 troops arc being sent to Panama be cause he is worried about the lives of american some 51,000 americans live in Panama. About21,000 Are private businessmen or Mil itary retirees the rest Are members of the . Military or their dependent Sand civilian defense employees. If required. I do not Rule out fur ther Steps in the future he said. The president and other administration officials so said the actions Are an assertion of . Rights under treaties with Panama that were ratified in 1978, to unimpeded travel throughout that country for . Convoys and troops. Defense officials released a report prepared last month alleging 642 Inci dents of harassment of . Defense personnel in Panama from feb. I 1988, through March 26,1989. More than 300 incidents involved detention of Ameri cans without charges which the report described As arbitrary actions that Vio lated the Panama canal treaties. National Security adviser Brent scowcroft said after the president s statement that sending More troops to Panama was precautionary As much As anything the joint chiefs of staff supported the troop movements because the officers believed the nullification of the election could raise the level of friction Between the two panamanian factions Possi Bly catching americans in the Middle of any violence one officer said. The department of defense said the troops would be deployed to Undis closed . Military installations in Panama with the first units moving out within 24 hours of the president s announcement. Spokesman Dan Howard would not comment on the rules of engagement for the troops. Among the units heading to Panama Isan army battalion and Light Field artillery Battery from the 7th Light inf div con sisting of 990 soldiers equipped with Small arms mortars and military vehicles. These troops will leave from their base at fort Ord Calif. Army chilian employee Emil Kiberu. Son Bilalic and Ife Judy move on base. Another army unit a 726-Man mechanized infantry unit from the 5th inf div. Based in fort i Olk. La. Will travel in sea to Panama. It will be car Ramg 59 armoured personnel carriers. Six mortar carry ing vehicles and 106 support vehicles. Rounding out the deployment will be 165 marines from a Light armoured vehicle company of the 2nd Marine expeditionary Force based in Camp la june . This unit carrying 18 Light armore vehicles will Fly to Panama. Scour of seemed to downplay the Chance of combat Between . And panamanian forces saying of Noriega he s a thug but he clearly operates with some prudence when he has Panama is Headquarters for the . Southern come. Where 10.300 military personnel Are based some 4,700 of them assigned to combat or combat support units. Their primary Mission is the defense of the Panama canal. About 2.000 . Security police also Are based there reflecting continued deployment of about 1,000 Mili tary police sent 13 months ago by then president Reagan to protect american facilities and personnel
