Don’t Let Allies Off Hook, Aspin Warns Weinberger : Reagan Bid for Aid in Gulf Fails

President Reagan failed to win support from allied leaders at the economic summit today for his tough stance toward Iran, but he insisted that he was “delighted” with their response on measures to end the Persian Gulf War.

Despite stern warnings by Reagan and his top advisers before the start of the seven-nation summit that indicated they would seek backing for strong sanctions against Iran, a bland summit political statement indicated that he had struck out in rallying more support for the U.S. challenge in the gulf.

The declaration on the 6 1/2-year-old war between Iran and Iraq, adopted by the leaders at this morning’s working session, supported U.N. efforts to mediate and urged “just and effective” measures by the U.N. Security Council. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher told reporters that the leaders had considered using the word “enforceable,” but “decided not to.”

It also did no more than pledge the group to “consult on ways to pursue” an end to the war and to ensure safety of shipping and the “free flow of oil.”

At the start of the afternoon session at the summit meeting site on an island in Venice, Reagan, seated at a huge wooden table in the library where the sessions are being held, was asked why he had been unable to make the statement stronger.

“I believe somebody misinformed you,” he said. “I am delighted with the support we’re getting, the attitudes of the allied leaders with regard to the gulf.”

Reagan appeared bent on putting the best face on what diplomatic observers said was his failure to rally NATO allies to support an arms embargo against Iran. Although U.S. officials said Reagan did not push the measure for inclusion in the statement, other summit nation officials said the subject came up but was resisted.

Focus on the War

A British official, however, suggested the White House had gotten the allies to move with “remarkable speed,” since it only focused on the gulf war after 37 American sailors died in the attack last month on the U.S. frigate Stark.

“The U.S. in the past two weeks has calculated how far it can travel with the other partners,” he said. “It has pitched its expectations exactly at the right level--that the others would accept.”

Still, Reagan had hoped to enhance his image, damaged by the Iran- contra scandal, with high profile appearances at the Venice summit and a show of leadership.

In advance of the meeting, White House Chief of Staff Howard H. Baker Jr. had said Reagan “is operating smoothly as a world leader.” But as a lame-duck President, Reagan had growing political problems at home and was dealing with counterparts who were distracted by their own political standing.

Diplomatic sources said only half an hour was spent discussing the gulf, since the other leaders had let it be known beforehand that they would not support reported U.S. military options, including a preemptive strike against Iran if it deployed Chinese-made Silkworm missiles near the vital Strait of Hormuz.

The sources expressed the view that the escalated rhetoric by White House aides was for home consumption and they were simply “testing the waters.”