Canada Seeking U.S. Data on Any Tie to Arms Sale
OTTAWA — Canada has asked the United States to provide any information it has on the alleged involvement of Canadian financiers in arms sales to Iran, Deputy Prime Minister Don Mazankowski said Thursday.
“The government of Canada is trying to determine all the facts,†Mazankowski told the House of Commons. “The issue is going to be thoroughly investigated.â€
He was commenting on reports that CIA Director William J. Casey told congressional investigators he had been told in October that money owed to unidentified Canadian financiers for arms sales to Iran had not been paid back and might have been diverted to Nicaraguan contras.
Mazankowski, saying the government had little information to work with, pledged that “appropriate legal action†would be taken if it were proved that any Canadian laws had been broken.
Canadian government policy forbids the sale or export of arms to countries at war.
The Progressive Conservative government was deluged with questions from opposition party spokesmen, who demanded an immediate investigation into the alleged Canadian connection.
Mazankowski said there were no further details available but that a full investigation was under way.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
