McFarlane Ends 5-Nation Latin American Tour

U.S. national security adviser Robert C. McFarlane returned to Washington on Saturday morning after a whirlwind tour of Latin America, including stops in five countries for talks on U.S. policy in Central America during the Reagan Administration’s second term.

The trip, which was not disclosed until Saturday, began Thursday morning, the White House said. It included stops in Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

The trip came at a time when officials and other observers here in Honduras and elsewhere in the region were expressing confusion over the direction of U.S. policy in Central America. Many sources had suggested that Washington was softening its policy against Nicaragua’s left-wing government, but Administration officials have disputed this.

The trip appeared to be timed to coincide with two important U.S. government announcements Friday aimed at Nicaragua:

--The United States said it would boycott further sessions at the International Court of Justice, where Nicaragua has brought a complaint against the United States over its support for anti-Sandinista rebels.

--The Administration also suspended the seven-month-old talks between the United States and Nicaragua.

A Honduran official, while declining to discuss the substance of the talks here, said McFarlane’s visit was reassuring.

“It has a lot of importance because it maintains a relationship at quite a high level,” the official said.