SYRIAN RELATIONS WITH ABU NIDAL AND THE PLO

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 07695

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PREL PTER KPAL PLO JO SY
SUBJECT: SYRIAN RELATIONS WITH ABU NIDAL AND THE PLO

REF: AMMAN 6461


1. (C - ENTIRE TEXT)



2. WE SPOKE ON JUNE 30 WITH JORDAN TIMES REPORTER
LAMIS ANDONI (STRICTLY PROTECT),AUTHOR OF AN
ARTICLE PRINTED ON JUNE 4 IN THE JORDAN TIMES
THAT BROKE THE NEWS OF SYRIA'S CLOSURE OF THE
DAMASCUS OFFICES OF THE ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION.
ANDONI IS ONE OF THE TOP ARAB REPORTERS OF
PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS; SHE IS WELL CONNECTED WITH
A WIDE RANGE OF SOURCES IN THE PALESTINIAN
MOVEMENT, INCLUDING IN FATAH, THE PFLP, AND THE
ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION.



3. ANDONI PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL
DETAILS ABOUT SYRIAN RELATIONS WITH THE ABU NIDAL
ORGANIZATION:

- THE SOURCES FOR HER STORY IN THE JORDAN TIMES,
LABELED IN THE ARTICLE AS "PALESTINIAN," INCLUDED
MEMBERS OF FATAH, THE ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION, AND
"OTHERS" (WHICH WE ASSUME MEANS PFLP).

- THE ABU NIDAL SOURCES TOLD ANDONI THAT THEY
REALIZED THEIR OFFICES IN DAMASCUS WERE UNDER
SURVEILLANCE BY DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS THERE,
SPECIFICALLY THE AMERICANS.

- FURTHERMORE, THE ABU NIDAL SOURCES SAID THAT
THEY REALIZED DIPLOMATS IN SYRIA WOULD "DISBELIEVE"
ACCOUNTS THAT SYRIA SEVERED ITS RELATIONSHIP
WITH ABU NIDAL, BECAUSE OF THEIR PRESUMPTION THAT
THE RELATIONSHIP WAS MORE INTIMATE THAN IN FACT
IT WAS.

- THE ABU NIDAL SOURCES INSIST THAT THE CUT IS
REAL; ANDONI BELIEVES THAT THIS IS THE RESULT OF
SYRIAN SPONSORED ATTACKS ON THE PALESTINIAN CAMPS
IN LEBANON, WHICH ABU NIDAL JOINED IN DEFENDING,
AND A FEELING BY THE ABU NIDAL RANK AND FILE THAT
THE MOVEMENT SHOULD BECOME CLOSER TO THE PLO AS
A WHOLE.



4. ON SYRIAN RELATIONS WITH THE PLO, SPECIFICALLY
FATAH, ANDONI SAID THAT RECENT SYRIAN-FATAH
MEETINGS HAVE BEEN UNPRODUCTIVE. SHE CONFIRMED
THAT PLO "FOREIGN MINISTER" QADDUMI HAD MET WITH
SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SHARA' IN BRIONI IN EARLY
JUNE, FOLLOWED BY MEETINGS BETWEEN FATAH SECURITY
CHIEF ABU AL-HUL WITH TWO SENIOR SYRIAN INTELLIGENCE
OFFICERS, MOHAMMAD NASSIF AND ADNAN RAM HAMDANI,
IN CYPRUS. THE QADDUMI MEETING WITH SHARA'
FOCUSED ON BROADER SYRIAN-PLO RELATIONS, WHILE
THE INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS' MEETING FOCUSED ON
LEBANON.



5. ANDONI PROVIDED A COUPLE OF BIOGRAPHIC DETAILS
ON ABU NIDAL SPOKESMAN ATIF ABU BAKR. ABU BAKR
UNTIL NOVEMBER 1984 WAS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE
PLO IN EASTERN EUROPE (SHE COULD NOT REMEMBER WHETHER
IT WAS BELGRADE OR PRAGUE). HE THEN DEFECTED TO
THE ABU MUSA DISSIDENT ORGANIZATION AND IN EARLY
1985 JOINED THE ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION.



6. MINIMIZE CONSIDERED.

BOEKER