Reagan May Delay Request for Contra Aid Until January
The Reagan Administration, beset by pressures from Central American and congressional leaders, is considering holding off until January before seeking a vote on $270 million in additional aid to the Nicaraguan Contra rebels.
The possible delay, disclosed Tuesday night by Administration aides, would represent a shift from plans outlined just two weeks ago by Secretary of State George P. Shultz, who said the Administration would ask Congress to approve the renewed aid sometime during the last three weeks of November.
Presidential spokesman Marlin Fitzwater acknowledged today that “there may be some change in the timing of the final request” but he declined to be more specific.
Shultz had said continued military pressure by the Contras was necessary to insure that Nicaragua’s leftist government abided by terms of the Central American peace agreement signed in August.
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