Shultz Appeals for Rebel Aid in Nicaragua

Secretary of State George P. Shultz, in a fresh appeal for renewed aid to Nicaraguan rebel forces, said today that abandonment of “these freedom fighters” would consign Nicaragua “to the endless darkness of communist tyranny.”

In a speech to the Commonwealth Club of California, Shultz used unusually harsh language in criticizing opponents of the Administration’s bid to win congressional approval of renewed assistance to the contra insurgents.

“They are leading the United States down the path of greater danger,” he said. “For if we do not take the appropriate steps now to pressure the Sandinistas to live up to their past promises--to cease their arms buildup, to stop exporting tyranny across their borders, to open Nicaragua to the competition of freedom and democracy--then we may find later, when we can no longer avoid acting, that the stakes will be higher and the costs greater.”

Source of Change Immaterial

Shultz said it is “immaterial” to the United States whether a change in Nicaraguan behavior is achieved through the Central American peace process, through unilateral actions taken by the Sandinistas alone or in concert with their domestic opponents or through the “collapse” of the Nicaraguan government.

Without a change in Nicaragua’s behavior, Shultz said, “lasting peace in Central America will be impossible.”

Shultz spoke a day after President Reagan moved closer to stating the United States seeks to topple the Sandinista government. (Story on Page 5.) Nicaragua complained that the President was making “absolutely false” statements in support of the rebels.

Negotiations Preferred

“Nicaragua feels the best way to resolve problems in Central America is through negotiations and not through armed conflict,” the Nicaraguan Embassy declared in a statement issued within an hour after Reagan’s televised news conference Thursday night.

The statement took sharp issue with Reagan’s assertion that the Nicaraguan rebels his Administration has armed and aided were part of the revolution that overthrew dictator Anastasio Somoza and installed the present Sandinista government in power.