Shultz Has Meeting With Brunei Official
Secretary of State George P. Shultz met today with the foreign minister of Brunei, the first such meeting since it was revealed that the State Department solicited $10 million from Brunei for the Nicaraguan contras.
Shultz met Foreign Minister Mohammed Bolkiah for half an hour during consultations with members of the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations.
Asked if they discussed the $10 million, a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity said: “They both agreed the matter had been resolved and was something in the past.”
Asked if Brunei planned to make the contribution again, the official said “I didn’t see any indication of that.”
Assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams asked the Sultan of Brunei, the foreign minister’s brother, to donate the money last year, and the funds were sent to a Swiss bank.
The money, however, was mistakenly deposited in the account of a wealthy Swiss businessman.
Brunei is expected to get the money back, but it is not known whether it will get an estimated $253,000 in interest the unidentified businessman earned from the money.
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