Word: haig
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...election of Socialist François Mitterrand as President of France had been predicted by the CIA, but not by Secretary of State Alexander Haig. Thus, when President Reagan returned from Mother's Day at Camp David, he found the State Department's draft of the obligatory telegram of congratulations too stiff. Not delivered until the morning after the election, it did contain a gracious Reagan touch: "Only those who have devoted years-long dedication to winning the presidency can fully appreciate what today's reaffirmation of the democratic process in France represents." But the Administration does...
...more immediate worry was the dispute between Israel and Syria over Syrian missiles in Lebanon. Another war in the Middle East would shatter Haig's hope that moderate nations there would form some kind of "strategic consensus" against the Soviet Union...
...regional problem that the Administration fears could lead to an expansion of Soviet influence is the struggle in black Namibia (SouthWest Africa), which is trying to gain independence from white-ruled South Africa. Elections in Namibia would probably lead to a Marxist government. Reagan and Haig both met last week with South African Foreign Minister Roelof F. ("Pik") Botha and they agreed to support a formula that would guarantee the rights of the white minority before any elections are held...
...matter may have to be settled in a House-Senate conference. Both congressional panels also recommended imposing restrictions on aid to El Salvador and Argentina that would tie assistance to improvements in human rights conditions. The Administration feels such restraints limit its flexibility in conducting foreign policy. Says Haig: "The constitutional responsibility of the President for the conduct of foreign affairs must be reaffirmed...
...also in the area, with a task force that included 1,500 U.S. Marines. The State Department instructed American embassy employees in Beirut to send their dependents home, and advised other Americans to leave. Calling U.S. diplomatic efforts to avert a conflict "a long shot," Secretary of State Alexander Haig warned gloomily: "Time is running...