Shultz Applauds Copter Downing : Appears to Lay Groundwork for Seeking Arms Aid for Contras

Secretary of State George P. Shultz applauded Nicaraguan rebels Friday for shooting down a government helicopter and said he hopes the contras have more anti-aircraft missiles so they can do it again.

“Thank goodness that they (the rebels) did get hold of some weapons that can knock these choppers down and were able to use them,” Shultz told a news conference. “I hope they have more of these weapons.”

Shultz stopped short of saying the Reagan Administration would ask Congress to supply anti-aircraft missiles or other lethal weapons to the forces fighting the Sandinista government. But he appeared to be laying the groundwork for such a request sometime next year.

“The legislation under which we’re operating envisioned in its terms that the situation is dynamic, and therefore it provides that if an Administration request is made (for additional aid) there will be a privileged vote on that request,” he said. Under congressional rules, a privileged motion is brought to a speedy vote and is not subject to delaying tactics.

Aid Restricted

Congress voted earlier this year to provide $27 million in aid to the contras but limited it to “humanitarian” items such as food, medicine, trucks and tents. President Reagan had requested permission to supply weapons but ultimately agreed to accept the restrictions.

Shultz’s comments reflect a gradual hardening of the Administration’s public position on Nicaragua. Earlier this year, State Department officials had said it was unlikely that they would seek military aid for the contras from Congress soon, and insisted that they were open to a resumption of the U.S.-Nicaraguan negotiations that were suspended in January.

But in recent weeks, Shultz and other officials have taken a tougher stance, arguing that negotiations are useless and that only military victories by the contras can force the Sandinistas out of power.

Rep. Dave McCurdy (D-Okla.), a leader of a faction of congressional moderates who opposed giving the contras weapons but approved non-lethal assistance, predicted that the Administration will launch “a fairly aggressive campaign to gain support for the contras in the coming months” as a prelude to asking Congress for authority to send arms.

Expected More

“I am surprised they have not done more of this,” McCurdy said in a telephone interview. “A number of us have been urging the Administration to address some of these concerns and to go more public on this.”

He said Congress could not act on a contra aid request before February or March at the earliest. And he left little doubt that he, for one, could be persuaded to support weapons aid.

At his news conference, Shultz said the Administration now has firm evidence of Cuban involvement in Nicaragua, and he said the Administration’s top priority in the area is a public relations campaign to stress Cuban and Soviet activities in Central America.

“The Administration has been pointing this up for some time, and we have gotten very skeptical responses,” he said. “But at this point, I think there are pieces of evidence that are undeniable. And it does pose a serious problem, and as the problem is genuinely taken on board, there may be further steps that may be possible.”

Late Friday, the State Department made public 30 one-paragraph excerpts from affidavits detailing Cuban involvement in Nicaragua. The department said the statements were made by former Sandinista troops “who defected after witnessing the events they describe.” However, no names were included in the report.

Show Cuban Involvement

The department said the affidavits “depict Cubans participating in a combat role in Sandinista military operations on the ground and in the air. They also detail the Cuban security and military network and the omnipresence of Cuban advisers.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Dante Fascell (D-Fla.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, asked the CIA to brief the panel on Cuban military activity in Central America.

He said if the Cuban military involvement has increased, “it would be difficult to escape the conclusion that (Cuban President Fidel) Castro may have opted for a military solution in Central America.”

Assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams revealed in congressional testimony Thursday that Cuban advisers to the Nicaraguan army have engaged directly in combat against the contras. He also made a pitch for the supply of anti-aircraft missiles to the rebels.

Urges ‘Lethal Aid’

“My own personal view is that the greatest weapon of Soviet suppression in the Third World right now is helicopters, and I would like to see the opposition have a way to deal with them . . . . My personal view is that we should give some kind of lethal aid or we’re going to see a terrorist base, a Soviet base, in Central America,” Abrams told a House subcommittee.

The rebel forces shot down a Soviet-made helicopter gunship Monday, using a Soviet-manufactured SAM-7, a shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile. The contras have been known for several months to possess SAM-7s, but the rebel commanders have found the missile to be difficult to maintain and use. Contra spokesmen have said repeatedly they would prefer to have U.S.-made Redeye shoulder-fired missiles.

At his news conference, Shultz alluded to the contras’ problems in using the SAM-7s by stressing that they operated the missile properly this time. In three similar instances, Shultz said, the rebels “have figured out how to use them, and they’ve used it effectively in this case.”

He also denied Nicaraguan charges that the United States supplied the missiles to the contras.

May Be Captured

“Our legislation prohibits that, and we are faithful to the legislation,” he said. “Obviously, these kinds of surface-to-air missiles are available on the international market. We know that the Nicaraguan communists have plenty of them themselves, and so it may be that they captured them.”

On other topics covered at his news conference, Shultz said:

--His trip next week to Romania, Hungary and Yugoslavia is intended to “acknowledge and support” the measure of independence the Communist-ruled nations have shown in their dealings with Moscow. He added, “I think it is helpful to us, and I hope to them, to hear from the United States what our view is of East-West relations.”

--Progress has been made in talks on independence for South African-controlled Namibia, combined with withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola, although the parties are not yet near a settlement. He said Angola already has agreed “in principle” to the ultimate removal of the Cuban forces.

“This issue of principle, in a sense, was resolved . . . and we made some more concrete suggestions that were laid on the table, so to speak, both in Angola and South Africa for some time,” he said. “Now, we’ve seen some responsiveness . . . to things that move beyond a question of principle into things that have quantities and timetables and so forth attached to them.” He declined to be more specific.