Deja Vu

IF YOU LIKE consistency you will love the Reagan Administration. Last week officials in Washington said the U.S. will end a four year freeze on arms sales to Guatemala to help the month old Rios Month regime fight leftist guerillas. The Administration claims Rios Montt, who took power through a coup against the extreme right Lucas Garcia government, has already significantly improved human rights conditions in Guatemala. So, the Guatemalans will receive $4 million in spite parts for the American made helicopters they are using against the leftist rebels. In addition, Washington wants to give Rios Montt $50,000 in military training funds for fiscal year 1982 and another $250,000 for 1983. If this scenario does not sound familiar, just replace Guatemala with the words "El Salvador."

When Lucas Garcia took office in 1978 political violence which had been widespread in Guatemala for several decades increased dramatically. Moderate politicians were murdered of forced into exile by rightist death squad and thousands of Indian peasants were killed in an effort by Lucas Garcia to wipe out the left's popular base of support. After harsh criticism by the Carter Administration. Guatemala renounced U.S. aid.

Last March, Guatemala held elections that were widely believed to be fraudulent, Gen. Anibal Guevara, Minister of Defense under Lucas Garcia, was chosen to lead the country. Rios Montt's coup a week later prevented Guevara from assuming power this summer.

Little is known about Rios Montt. Allied with the Social Democrats, he ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 1974. Optimistic officials in Washington say Rios Montt is moderate by Guatemalan standards. But as former Assistant Secretary of State for Central America Sally Shelton puts it, "the political spectrum in Guatemala starts very much to the right of center." And Rios Montt, a general himself, has the backing of the historically repressive military.

So far, the new Guatemalan junta has announced plans to dismantle the death squads and bring to trial former government officials. But policy to shore up Guatemala's troubled economy has been made public. New elections, promised by Rios Montt, have yet to be set Clearly it is too early to predict in which direction Rios Montt will go. It should be at least as clear to Washington that to change policy so dramatically to ward a regime which is only a month old is folly.

Ironically, the new government did not request the revived military aid instead, it was offered by the U.S. in a gesture of friendship to Rios Montt According to Congressional sources the Guatemalan Junta is more interested in economic assistance such as construction equipment.

Opposition in Congress to the resumption of aid appears to be fairly strong. Representative Michael D. Barnes (D.-Md.), chairman of a House committee on inter-American affairs, said an "informal agreement" exists with the Administration that would permit Congress to exercise "what amounts to a veto" on any change in U.S. policy toward Guatemala.

We urge Congress to use that veto. The Rios Montt regime could indeed turn out to be moderate and concerned about the welfare of all Guatemalans. But most signs indicate the new governments is just likely to become another addition to the list of Central American rightist dictatorships. Then, Washington would have another El Salvador on its hands. And as it stands, one is already too many.