Selling the rope.

Selling the Rope

WHO UNDERWRITES the Sandinistaregime? To a large extent, our European allies do. For every dollar in American assistance the Nicaraguan Contras have received, the Sandinistas have received much more than that-- from Sweden alone. Congressman Jim Courter (R., N.J.) charges that from 1979 to 1986, Sweden has provided the Communist Sandinistas with $100 million, compared to approximately $65 million in U.S. aid for the Contras. Sweden, a generous benefactor of Communist Vietnam, Communist Cuba, Communist Angola, and Communist terror groups such as SWAPO, will likewise provide another $36 million in bilateral assistance to Nicaragua over the next two years, according to Barricada, the Sandinista newspaper.

Sweden is not alone. According to atelegram Deputy Secretary of State John Whitehead recently fired off to American embassies in Europe: "The countries that overwhelmingly favored Nicaragua [from 1980 to 1984] are the Netherlands (70 per cent of its total aid to the region), France (67 per cent), Denmark (63 per cent), Italy (53 per cent), and Belgium (41 per cent). Adding in aid from the European Community Commission, our allies' contributions to the first Soviet-client state on the North American mainland totaled $360.5 million.'

"Our allies' aid to Sandinista Communismhas strangely escaped notice,' says Courter. "But members of Congress from both parties and a number of states don't like it. And I find it hard to believe that the public--American or European--will like it any more than we do.' A bi-partisan letter signed by 15 representatives has been sent to Roy Denman, the European Community's ambassador in Washington, requesting EC members to halt aid to the Sandinistas. An EC spokesman refused to comment on the letter, pending a response from Brussels. A spokesman for the embassy of the Netherlands wasn't as diplomatic. Any attempt to convince the Netherlands to stop aiding the Sandinistas, he said, would be regarded as "interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation.' Likewise, a letter from Sweden's ambassador, Wilhelm Wachtmeister, to Congressman Courter suggested that the U.S. can expect more of the same from Sweden. The ambassador wrote, "Given the severe constraints Nicaragua is facing, it would seem premature to conclude that these efforts [to build democracy] in Nicaragua will not be successful.' Although other NATO allies, including France and Germany, have reduced financial aid to the Sandinistas, several European diplomats make clear that a majority of our allies will continue helping Managua. Congressional Contra supporters say they plan to make such help a major issue during the 100th Congress.