U.S. Defends Arming Rebels in Cambodia

The State Department on Wednesday defended President Bush’s decision to send military assistance to non-Communist guerrillas in Cambodia, saying it has received assurances that the aid will not fall into the hands of the Communist Khmer Rouge.

But several Senate Democrats are said to be unhappy with the decision, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee may attempt to delay or block the Administration’s plans, aides said.

U.S. Seeks Assurances

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, responding to congressional criticism, said that the Administration has sought assurances from the non-Communist guerrillas that they will not allow any equipment to fall into the hands of the Khmer Rouge, who presided over the deaths of as many as 1 million Cambodians from executions, hunger and disease when they ruled the country from 1975 to the end of 1978.

“While they (the non-Communist guerrillas and the Khmer Rouge) have occasionally cooperated operationally in the field, we know of no instance in which equipment or supplies have been diverted to the Khmer Rouge,” Boucher said. “The two non-Communist resistance groups have assured us that this will never happen.”

Three rebel organizations are fighting the Communist government in Phnom Penh, which was installed by troops from neighboring Vietnam in January, 1979. The Khmer Rouge, Communists who oppose the Vietnamese, are the largest opposition faction, with as many as 40,000 guerrillas. The United States supports the other two groups, led by Prince Norodom Sihanouk and former Prime Minister Son Sann, with a combined strength estimated at well under 30,000.

Now, the Vietnamese army is withdrawing and the three opposition groups are competing for future control of Cambodia. The new U.S. aid, primarily rifles and ammunition, will be sent to the non-Communist groups to strengthen them in this struggle, officials said.

Vietnam has said that its troops will be out of the country by Sept. 30, although it has asserted a right to intervene again if the Phnom Penh regime is threatened.

The United States and other Asian countries have been promoting negotiations toward an interim government until national elections can be conducted. But the Administration’s decision to add weapons to its existing non-lethal supplies reflects the belief of officials that the struggle for power will continue to be military as well as political.

Boucher noted that one of the reasons the Administration favors “appropriate assistance” for the guerrillas is “to help the resistance to hold its own should the Khmer Rouge attempt to seize unilateral control.”

Boucher did not explicitly confirm the decision to send military aid, but other officials, speaking on condition they not be identified, said that Bush decided to supply rifles to the rebels after discussing the issue with aides last week.

Sens. Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.), Mark O. Hatfield (R-Ore.) and Alan Cranston (D-Calif.) had attempted to dissuade the Administration from sending military aid, arguing that it would indirectly aid the Khmer Rouge and would increase the likelihood of more combat. But they are reluctant to try to block the aid through legislation, one senior aide said. Instead, they will probably seek to change Bush’s mind by marshaling opposition to the move, beginning with a committee session today, he said.

At the same time, however, there is considerable bipartisan support for the military aid plan. Rep. Stephen J. Solarz (D-N.Y.), a leading proponent of the idea, said that the aid would “strengthen the hand” of the non-Communist resistance and increase the chances for a political settlement.

Solarz agreed that keeping aid away from the Khmer Rouge is essential. “This is one of the pre-eminent moral questions of our day,” he said. “We must do everything in our power to ensure that the Khmer Rouge does not turn Cambodia once again into an Asian Auschwitz.”