Israeli Figures in Iran Affair to Explain Roles
Four key figures in the scheme to sell U.S. arms to Iran in exchange for American hostages in Lebanon have agreed to give written answers to questions from U.S. investigators, Israel radio said Monday.
None of the four--arms dealers Al Schwimmer and Jacob Nimrodi, Israeli terrorism expert Amiram Nir and former Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General David Kimche--could be reached for comment.
Agreement by the four to clarify their roles in the affair was announced a week before Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir’s scheduled 10-day visit to the United States.
The Israeli government has previously said it would cooperate with congressional panels investigating the arms sales to Iran and the subsequent diversion of profits from those funds to the contras fighting the Nicaraguan government.
Israel has admitted acting as middleman in the arms sales but has denied initiating the deal and said it had acted at the request of the Reagan Administration.
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