European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 13, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday March 13, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 9 . Program that trained dissidents to topple Qadhafi ends in fail by Clifford Krauss sense department official. A never thine with Small arms. The i by Clifford Krauss the new York times Washington a 2-year-old Covert policy to destabilize col. Moa mar Qadhafi with .-trained libyan commandos has ended in failure with the a United states going to great lengths to find a Safe place of exile for hundreds of dissident libyan fighters it once supported and trained american officials said a a a a a a a. A a a a a a a a a a a a a the secret paramilitary program set in motion in the final months of the Reagan administration provided military Aid and training to 600 former libyan soldiers at a base outside Ndjamena the capital of Chad. The libyans who had been captured during Border fighting Between Libya and Chad in 1988, volunteered for the Force in Exchange for their Freedom from prisoner of War Camps. _ incomplete details of the operation first came to Light when the government of Chad fell last december to a libyan sponsored guerrilla Force and the commando band was forced into an Uncertain exile. Since then administration officials have begun to describe How they first ushered the dissidents to Zaire and then after their Welcome there wore thin transferred most of the libyans to Kenya. A. A. A v. A a it a a a a Quot a a a state department spokesman originally linked the release last month of $5 million in military Aid to Kenya to an improvement in its human rights record. But now senior administration officials admit the Money was granted As an expression of gratitude for granting 350 of the libyans temporary Refuge. The other 250 libyans had by that time decided to return to their country. A we compromised our human rights policy in Kenya somewhat a said a senior state department official a but we Felt we had Little Choice. We feel a humanitarian responsibility for these people.�?�. A a a a the libyan commandos were disarmed in Chad before their Transfer to Zaire and have been permanently disbanded administration officials said. Now refugees most of the dissidents have remained afraid of returning to Libya and other countries Are unwilling to take them permanently for fear of angering Qadhafi who has demanded their return. A they Are hot potatoes a said a de sense department official. A everything has gone to hell in a Han Basket and we got stuck holding the president Reagan never concealed his animosity toward Qadhafi whom he accused of sponsoring terrorism throughout the world. After he publicly linked the libyan Leader to the bombing of a West Berlin discotheque in which an american Serviceman was killed in 1986, Reagan authorized a bombing attack on the libyan capital of Tripoli. ,. The raid seemed to quiet Qadhafi a a adventurism but by Mia-1988 Reagan a amps Susan Harris administration officials were again accusing him of involvement in a number of terrorist acts including the bombing of a Uso club in Naples Italy. When Chad a forces handed Qadhafi an embarrassing defeat the Reagan administration seized the Opportunity to use the prisoners of War taken by Chad to form an anti Qadhafi paramilitary Force. Us. Officials said Many if not most of the captured libyan troops were eager to fight against their former commander Ana the libyans made Contact with established exiled dissident groups. A a v. \ Quot nevertheless administration officials said the Force never launched a serious military operation and May not have seen any combat at All despite training by defense department and intelligence advisers who supplied the Force with Small arms. Officials would not disclose How much Money was spent on the program or its specific objectives. But they indicated that the Cost was relatively Small and suggested that the United states never designed a fully detailed plan of How to use the commandos. 1 an administration official who Man tors Africa said president Bush either did not fully believe in the program or for a time was waiting Fifthe right moment to launch the com Jandos. A we waited Bey Pira their period of usefulness and Iet ourselves get trapped a Saij the official suggesting that the forc6 should have been used before the libyan backed rebels had a Chance to take Power in Chad. A we handed Qadhafi a propaganda while the administration has published reports accusing the libyans of involvement in terrorist acts in the Middle East the Caribbean and North Africa Bush a criticism of Qadhafi has been muted compared with that by his predecessor. V. A within hours of the dec. 2 takeover of Chad by the rebel Leader Gen. Idris Deby Qadhafi demanded that the 600 commandos be returned to Libya. Seeing libyan military Supply planes arrive in Chad the commandos prepared to defend themselves a state department official said. Although Deby came to Power with arms and supplies from Libya he wanted to Avert a fight Between libyans in his country. He also wished to assert his Independence from Qadhafi administration officials speculated in order to establish a working relationship with the United states. The newly installed Deby consulted the american ambassador Richard Bohosian and agreed to allow a number of . Military transports to land and pick up the libyan dissidents the state department official said. The official said that when the planes landed Qadhafi bitterly accused the United states of kidnapping the libyans and executing those who would not agree to go. At the time news reports based on assertions by american diplomats said the United states was disarming the libyans and scattering them around Africa. In fact administration officials now say the United states had found them a Home on an army base in Zaire a country whose government has Long facilitated Covert Cia activities. But Zaire a president Mobutu sese seko proved less helpful than expected. The month before an administration request for $4_million in military Aid to Zaire had been denied by Congress amid concern Over human rights abuses and corruption under Mobutu. Apparently smarting from this the zairian Leader indicated that he was now less enthusiastic about helping the United states. A a. A a a a a a a a a a a a a a. A Mobutu bowed to a request by Qadhafi that libyan government officials be Given Access to the dissident refugees so that those who wished to return Home could do so. Administration officials said they believe some of the libyan officials were intelligence agents who might have threatened the refugees and their families. About 250 agreed to return to Libya and administration officials said they do not know what has happened to them for their safety the administration looked for a new Home for the refugees. Kenya expressed interest in taking them temporarily. Kenya has a Long record of harbouring refugees. Like Chad s new government it also wanted to improve relations with the United states in kenyans Case the relations had deteriorated Over the issues of human rights and corruption. Last year the administration froze $9.6 million in military Aid to Kenya calling on president Daniel Arap Moi to release political prisoners restore an Independent judiciary and allow Freedom of speech. Shortly after Moi permitted the United states to Airlift the 350 remaining libyan refugees to his country the state department announced that the kenyan government had made Progress in human rights and the Bush administration released More than half of the Frozen military Aid. Since then an administration official said the human rights situation has not improved. A they keep arresting peo pie a she said. The United states has asked the . High commissioner for refugees to help find the permanent Refuge for the called Over Power paralysis in Yugoslavia Belgrade Yugoslavia apr the defense minister hoping to break a deadlock among feuding leaders of the six yugoslav republics tuesday called an emergency session of the Balkan federations highest state body. V. The head of Yugoslavia a collective presidency said defense minister Veljko Kadijevic ordered the session because of a paralysis of Power among the country a leaders. A a it was not Clear when the meeting would Convene nor whether delegates from the fractious republics of Slovenia and Croatia would attend. Borisav Jovic head of the presidency and nominal commander of the armed forces said in a statement a the presidency is paralysed to such an extent in these dramatic circumstances that it has practically ceased fulfilling its constitutional functions and Call for the meeting came As the communist government of Serbia the most populous Republic encountered a fourth Day of demonstrations by thousands of students in downtown Belgrade. Belgrade is the capital of the yugoslav federation As Well As the serbian capital. Serbia a government on saturday called in the military to quell a protest against communist Rule. Two people were killed and 120 injured in the protest which led to a wave of new demonstrations. The Northern republics of Croatia and Slovenia engaged in a bitter dispute with Serbia about the future of Yugoslavia because they Are pro Western denounced use of the military. The official news Agency Tan Jug tuesday quoted Jovic As saying the Security situation in Yugoslavia a has been endangered in various parts of the Jovick a statement said a in such circumstances and upon the demand Federal defense minister i have called an urgent presidency session As the supreme commander of the armed the serbian government partially gave in to student protests tuesday by demanding the resignations of five Belgrade to officials including to chief Dusan Mitev in. But the announcement made by culture minister Bajo Saranovic was greeted with jeers from about 10,000 protesters. A saturdays demonstration began As a protest against the communist controlled Media in Belgrade but has quickly grown into the strongest Challenge to communist Rule in Serbia since world War ii. The students also demanded the release of an opposition Leader arrested saturday and the firing of the republics Interior minister Radmilo Bogdanovic. They hold him responsible for the deaths of the two protesters. V a a. A a a a / a. It also significantly undermines hard line serbian president Slobodan Milosevic in negotiations with the presidents of other yugoslav republics Over the future of the federation. A Milosevic wants to keep Yugoslavia a federation with tight control in Belgrade. Croatia and Slovenia want the country to become a Loose confederation and failing that say they will secede. Saturdays protest turned into a pitched Battle when authorities moved in with armoured vehicles and live ammunition against about 100,000 protesters. A 17-year-old student and a police officer died in the clash. Milosevic told the emergency session of the serbian parliament on monday that foreign enemies of Serbia were to blame saying Domestic traitors were trying to turn the Republic into
