SYRIAN CLOSURE OF ABU NIDAL OFFICES

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 03020

TERREP EXCLUSIVE

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PTER SY
SUBJECT: SYRIAN CLOSURE OF ABU NIDAL OFFICES

REF: A) FBIS AMMAN JO 040709Z JUN 87
-- B) LINO/GREENE TELECON JUNE 4, 1987


1. SECRET - ENTIRE TEXT.


2. SUMMARY: WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DEVELOP SOME -- BUT
NOT YET CONCLUSIVE -- CONFIRMATION THAT THE SYRIAN
GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN STEPS TO END THE "OFFICIAL" ABU NIDAL
PRESENCE IN SYRIA. THE THREE OFFICES IN DAMASCUS APPEAR
CLOSED. WHILE THE SYRIAN JUSTIFICATION FOR THE ACTION
MAY WELL BE ANGER OVER ABU NIDAL'S DALLIANCE WITH ARAFAT
IN ALGIERS, THE REAL REASONS SEEM TO BE ANO-SYRIAN
CONFRONTATION IN LEBANON AND WESTERN PRESSURES. END
SUMMARY.


3. POST HAS BEEN ABLE TO ESTABLISH SOME, BUT AS YET
INCONCLUSIVE, CONFIRMATION OF "JORDAN TIMES" ARTICLE
(REFTEL A) THAT SARG HAS FINALLY MOVED TO END THE
ANO PRESENCE IN SYRIA. DATT HAS SURVEYED THE THREE
IDENTIFIED ABU NIDAL OFFICES IN DAMASCUS. AS OF JUNE 4,
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS OUTSIDE THE PRESS OFFICE AND THE ANO
HEADQUARTERS IN DAMASCUS PROPER HAVE BEEN REMOVED (THESE
CAMERAS HAD BEEN PRESENT JUNE 3). THE GUARD FORCE
NORMALLY PRESENT OUTSIDE BOTH LOCATIONS HAD ALSO BEEN
MOVED AS OF JUNE 4, AND REGULAR SYRIAN POLICE CARS,
NEVER PREVIOUSLY SEEN AT THE HEADQUARTERS LOCATION, WERE
PARKED IN FRONT. FOLLOW-UP SURVEY ON JUNE 5 FOUND THE
OFFICES APPARENTLY DESERTED. LOCAL AP CORRESPONDENT TOLD
POLOFF JUNE 4 THAT HE HAD VISITED THE ANO HEADQUARTERS
THAT MORNING AND FOUND THEM OCCUPIED BY "ALI DUBA'S
MEN" WHO WERE TEARING POSTERS OFF THE WALLS.


4. AP CORRESPONDENT INSISTS THE STORY IS TRUE, AND THAT
THE ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN ORDERED TO VACATE
SYRIA COMPLETELY. HE ASSERTS ALSO THAT THE TRAINING
CAMPS IN THE BIQA' HAVE BEEN CLOSED. (THE SOURCE
REMINDED US THAT HE HAD MADE THE LATTER CLAIM A WEEK
AGO.) PNSF CHAIRMAN KHALID AL-FAHOUM ALSO CONFIRMED THIS
STORY TO THE ITALIAN COUNSELOR ON THE AFTERNOON OF JUNE 4,
AS DID A "FORMER SENIOR MFA OFFICIAL" TO A NUMBER OF
OTHER WESTERN DIPLOMATS (WEST GERMAN CHARGE SAYS THE
SOURCE WAS MOHAMMED SAKARIAN ISMAIL).


5. ON JUNE 4 AND 5, MISSION OFFICERS CALLED ON AUSTRIAN,
BRITISH, DUTCH, FRENCH, GERMAN, CANADIAN, SPANISH,
ITALIAN AND YUGOSLAV COLLEAGUES. DATT CONTACTED HIS
CHINESE AND AUSTRALIAN COUNTERPARTS. THE AUSTRIANS,
SPANISH, AND ITALIANS CLAIM TO HAVE SOME CONFIRMATION.
ALL OUR CONTACTS PROMISED TO FOLLOW UP WITH LOCAL
PALESTINIAN SOURCES OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND TO GET
BACK TO US. (ARAB EMBASSIES IN DAMASCUS WERE CLOSED
FRIDAY, JUNE 5. WE WILL FOLLOW UP WITH THEM OVER THE
WEEKEND.)


6. COMMENT: PHYSICALLY, THE ANO OFFICES APPEAR SHUT
DOWN. THEIR STATUS HAS GREATLY CHANGED FROM THE DATT'S
LAST RECONNAISSANCE. THE SYRIANS HAVE BEEN TELLING US,
AS WELL AS THE REST OF OUR DIPLOMATIC COLLEAGUES, THAT ABU
NIDAL'S ORGANIZATION HAD LEFT SYRIA, WITH THE EXCEPTION
OF THE FRONT OFFICES WHICH WERE MANNED BY LOW LEVEL
PERSONNEL, FOR SOME TIME. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE "JORDAN
TIMES" STORY JUNE 4, MFA EUROPEAN DIRECTOR SULAYMAN HADDAD
QUIPPED THAT "THE AMERICANS SPEND MILLIONS ON THEIR CIA
AND YET THEY DO NOT SEEM TO BE ABLE TO GRASP THE FACT
THAT ABU NIDAL IS GONE." FAHOUM AND DFLP AND PFLP
LEADERS HAVE ALSO BEEN INSISTING SINCE THE BEGINNING OF
THE YEAR THAT, OTHER THAN THE TOKEN PRESENCE OF THE
OFFICES, THAT THE ANO HAD LEFT SYRIA, FIRST FOR LEBANON
AND THEN TO LIBYA.


7. COMMENT CONTINUED. THE INFORMAL BUT OFFICIAL JUSTIFI
CATION FOR THE FINAL SYMBOLIC GESTURE OF CLOSING THE
OFFICES IS ABU NIDAL'S DEALINGS WITH ARAFAT IN ALGIERS.
ONE LOCAL SOURCE TELLS US THAT ABU NIDAL REPRESENTATIVES
MISREPRESENTED THE DISCUSSIONS TO THE SYRIANS FOLLOWING
THEIR DEPARTURE FROM ALGIERS. THE AUSTRIAN AMBASSADOR
POINTS OUT, HOWEVER (AND WE AGREE),THAT THE SAME
JUSTIFICATION SHOULD APPLY MORE APPROPRIATELY TO THE
DFLP, PFLP, PCP AND OTHERS WHO PARTICIPATED FULLY IN
THE PNC. MORE LIKELY, THE SYRIANS HAVE GROWN INCREASING-
LY IRRITATED BY THE ANO'S ACTIVE OPPOSITION TO SYRIAN
EFFORTS TO END THE ARMED PALESTINIAN PRESENCE IN
LEBANON AND THE SYRIAN MILITARY OCCUPATION OF WEST
BEIRUT. DAMASCUS, TOO, IS ANXIOUS TO RELIEVE WESTERN
PRESSURE REGARDING TERRORISM AND MAY AT LAST HAVE
CONCLUDED THAT THE MAINTENANCE OF WHAT THEY INSIST IS A
TOKEN POLITICAL PRESENCE IS NOT WORTH THE PRICE.


LINO