ABU NIDAL AND THE BITAR ASSASSINATION

S E C R E T KUWAIT 06483 TERREP EXCLUSIVE E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR TAGS: PTER KU SUBJECT: ABU NIDAL AND THE BITAR ASSASSINATION REF: A) STATE 371962; B) STATE 371963 ¶1. SECRET ENTIRE TEXT. ¶2. DURING A CALL AT THE MFA ON 8 DECEMBER I PRESENTED REFTEL B ANALYSIS AND ANNEX OF THE ABU NIDAL TER- RORIST ORGANIZATION TO UNDERSECRETARY SULAIMAN MAJID AL-SHAHEEN. POINTING OUT THE VICIOUS ATTACKS PER- PETRATED BY ABU NIDAL'S GROUP OVER THE PAST YEARS I STRESSED THE GRAVE THREAT THAT THE ORGANIZATION CON- STITUTES FOR ALL OF US, PARTICULARLY MODERATE ARAB STATES SUCH AS KUWAIT. I EMPHASIZED TO AL-SHAHEEN THAT THE USG WOULD DO ALL IT COULD TO INTERDICT TERRORIST ACTS AND URGED THE GOK TO COOPERATE WITH US TO THIS END. I ASKED THE GOK TO USE ITS INFLUENCE WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST TO DENY A SAFE HAVEN AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT FOR SUSPECTED MEMBERS OF ABU NIDAL'S ORGANIZATION. ¶3. ABU NIDAL WAS OBVIOUSLY A TOPIC OF INTEREST TO AL-SHAHEEN. TURNING TO THE MOST RECENT ACT BY ABU NIDAL'S GROUP, THE ASSASSINATION OF AL-BITAR IN AMMAN ON 14 NOVEMBER, AL-SHAHEEN INFORMED ME THAT THE PAL- ESTINIAN ASSASSINS WERE FROM KUWAIT, HAD ATTENDED BISHAR ROOMI SCHOOL, FAILED IN THEIR STUDIES, AND THEN HAD BEEN RECRUITED BY THE GROUP, PRESUMABLY OUT- SIDE OF KUWAIT. MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE NOTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF JORDAN HAD APPROACHED THE GOK ON 7 DECEMBER WITH INFORMATION THAT DURING THE INTERROGATION OF THE TWO PALESTINIANS THEY PROVIDED INFORMATION ABOUT THE 1985 CAFE' BOMBINGS IN KUWAIT. AL-SHAHEEN STATED THE GOK HAD DISPATCHED SOMEONE TO JORDAN IMMEDIATELY TO FOLLOW UP THE INVESTIGATION OF A CONNECTION BETWEEN ABU NIDAL AND THE BOMBINGS. ¶4. THE GOK REALIZES ALL TOO WELL THE THREAT THAT THE ABU NIDAL GROUP POSES, NOW MORE THAN EVER. SHOULD SUSPECTED TERRORISTS COME TO THEIR ATTENTION THEY MAY BE WILLING TO SHARE THEIR INFORMATION WITH US. QUAINTON