GREECE: 1988 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ATHENS 19586

TERREP

S/CT FOR WHARTON

E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PTER GR
SUBJECT: GREECE: 1988 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

REF: STATE 357278



1. FOLLOWING IS THE EMBASSY'S SUBMISSION FOR THE
DEPARTMENT'S UNCLASSIFIED ANNUAL REPORT TO THE
CONGRESS ON TERRORISM IN 1988.


2. 1988 WAS A VERY BAD YEAR FOR COMBATTING
TERRORISM IN GREECE. DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN
TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS INCREASED THEIR ACTIVITIES
IN GREECE DURING THE YEAR, USING MORE LETHAL MEANS
AGAINST AN EXPANDING ARRAY OF TARGETS. AMERICAN
OFFICIALS WERE AT PARTICULAR HAZARD AND ONE U.S.
EMBASSY OFFICER WAS KILLED. THERE WERE NO
SIGNIFICANT COUNTER-TERRORIST SUCCESSES ACHIEVED
BY THE GREEK GOVERNMENT. IN CONTRAST, GREEK
JUSTICE MINISTERS TWICE OVERTURNED DECISIONS OF
GREEK COURTS AND PERMITTED TERRORISTS WANTED IN
ITALY TO GO FREE. THE GREEK GOVERNMENT MAINTAINS
ITS RHETORICAL POSITION AGAINST TERRORISM, BUT THE
RHETORIC HAS NOT BEEN MATCHED BY DEEDS.


3. A NUMBER OF DOMESTIC TERRORIST GROUPS OPERATED
WITH IMPUNITY IN GREECE IN 1988, CARRYING OUT
REPEATED BOMBINGS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
FACILITIES. HOWEVER, THE MOST DANGEROUS AND
DEADLY TERRORIST ORGANIZATION REMAINS "NOVEMBER
17", WHICH CONTINUED ITS THIRTEEN-YEAR CAMPAIGN OF
MURDEROUS ATTACKS WHICH HAVE OFTEN BEEN AIMED AT
U.S. OFFICIALS. "NOVEMBER 17" FAILED IN A JANUARY
ATTEMPT TO KILL U.S. DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
OFFICIAL GEORGE CARROS WITH A BOMB, BUT
UNFORTUNATELY SUCCEEDED ON JUNE 28 IN
ASSASSINATING THE U.S. EMBASSY DEFENSE ATTACHE,
NAVY CAPTAIN WILLIAM NORDEEN, WITH A BOMB OF GREAT
EXPLOSIVE POWER. ON AUGUST 14, "NOVEMBER 17"
DEMONSTRATED ITS OPEN CONTEMPT FOR GOVERNMENTAL
AUTHORITY BY SEIZING A POLICE STATION IN SUBURBAN
ATHENS, BRIEFLY DETAINING ITS STAFF AND STEALING A
STORE OF WEAPONS AND OTHER EQUIPMENT. IN ITS
FREQUENT WRITTEN PROCLAMATIONS, "NOVEMBER 17" HAS
MANIFESTED A HIGHLY ETHNOCENTRIC AND RADICAL
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY WHICH INCLUDES AMONG ITS
PERCEIVED DEMONS THE UNITED STATES, THE EUROPEAN
COMMUNITY, NATO, THE GREEK GOVERNMENT, ALL GREEK
POLITICAL PARTIES, A MARKET ECONOMY AND ALMOST ALL
FACETS OF PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY. WHILE LITTLE
OF SUBSTANCE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE INTERNAL WORKINGS
OF "NOVEMBER 17", IT HAS CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATED
SEVERAL IMPORTANT QUALITIES: RIGID INTERNAL
SECURITY, A COMMITMENT TO SELF-PRESERVATION,
METHODICAL PREPARATION AND EXECUTION OF ATTACKS,
AND A PREFERENCE FOR HOMICIDAL OPERATIONS. OVER
THE PAST TWO YEARS IT HAS ALSO SHOWN A WILLINGNESS
AND ABILITY TO EXPAND SHARPLY THE NUMBER OF ITS
ATTACKS WHILE EMPLOYING AN EXPANDED RANGE OF
TECHNIQUES OF GREATLY ENHANCED LETHALITY. IN
THIRTEEN YEARS OF OPERATION, NO MEMBER OF
"NOVEMBER 17" HAS EVER BEEN PUBLICLY IDENTIFIED,
APPREHENDED OR KILLED.


4. ANY ILLUSIONS THAT GREECE COULD REMAIN
UNSCARRED BY THE SCOURGE OF INTERNATIONAL
TERRORISM SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISPELLED IN 1988.
FOREIGN TERRORISTS DEMONSTRATED THEIR ABILITY AND
INTENT TO USE GREECE AS A BATTLEFIELD AND TO MAKE
IT A VICTIM AS THEY SAW FIT. IN APRIL, A
PROMINENT LEADER OF THE ARMENIAN SECRET ARMY FOR
THE LIBERATION OF ARMENIA ("ASALA") RESIDENT IN
GREECE, HAGOP HAGOPIAN, WAS ASSASSINATED IN FRONT
OF HIS HOUSE IN ATHENS IN AN APPARENT INTERNAL
"ASALA" DISPUTE. IN AN EVENT WHICH ATTRACTED THE
ATTENTION OF THE WORLD JULY 11, GUNMEN USED
MACHINE GUNS AND GRENADES TO CONDUCT A MASSACRE OF
PASSENGERS ABOARD THE DAY EXCURSION BOAT "CITY OF
POROS" IN THE SARONIC GULF NEAR ATHENS. NINE
PASSENGERS WERE KILLED AND NEARLY ONE HUNDRED
INJURED. ONLY HOURS BEFORE THE ATTACK, AN
AUTOMOBILE PACKED WITH EXPLOSIVES BLEW UP AT A
MARINA IN PIRAEUS, THE PORT OF ATHENS, KILLING ITS
OCCUPANTS. WHILE NO ORGANIZATION HAS CLAIMED
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TWO EVENTS, WHICH WERE
ALMOST CERTAINLY CONNECTED, CONSIDERABLE EVIDENCE
POINTS TO THE ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION. ALTHOUGH
THE PURPOSE OF THE ATTACK ON THE "CITY OF POROS"
REMAINS A MATTER OF SPECULATION, IT SEEMS LIKELY
THAT A MUCH LARGER TERRORIST OPERATION WAS IN
PREPARATION AND WENT WRONG. THERE HAVE BEEN NO
ARRESTS IN CONNECTION WITH THESE EVENTS.


5. THE GREEK GOVERNMENT HAS REPEATEDLY STATED ITS
"PRINCIPLED" POSITION IN OPPOSITION TO TERRORISM
OF ALL FORMS. THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT SO FAR
BEEN MATCHED BY SUBSTANTIVE COUNTER-TERRORIST
ACHIEVEMENTS. THE GOVERNMENT HAS REPORTEDLY
INCREASED THE RESOURCES AND PRIORITY IT ASSIGNS TO
COMBATTING TERRORISM, GREEK SHIPOWNERS HAVE BEEN
IN THE FOREFRONT INTERNATIONALLY IN PROPOSING AND
IMPLEMENTING IMPROVED SECURITY MEASURES ON
PASSENGER VESSELS, AND THE U.S. EMBASSY RECEIVED
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED COOPERATION FROM GREEK
AUTHORITIES IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE KILLING OF
CAPTAIN NORDEEN. HOWEVER, IN 1988 THERE WAS ONLY
ONE ARREST (CITED BELOW),NO CONVICTIONS AND NO
EXTRADITIONS OF SUSPECTED TERRORISTS IN GREECE.
INDEED, THE CONTRARY IS THE CASE. IN NOVEMBER AN
ATHENS COURT DISMISSED CHARGES AGAINST TWO
SUSPECTED MEMBERS OF THE "ANTI-STATE STRUGGLE"
ORGANIZATION FOR LACK OF EVIDENCE.


6. MUCH MORE SERIOUSLY, GREEK JUSTICE MINISTERS
TWICE DURING THE YEAR OVERTURNED RULINGS BY GREEK
COURTS (INCLUDING THE SUPREME COURT) WHICH FAVORED
EXTRADITIONS OF PERSONS WANTED IN ITALY FOR
TERRORIST OFFENSES. IN FEBRUARY THEN JUSTICE
MINISTER KOUTSOYIORGAS EXERCISED HIS AUTHORITY TO
REFUSE THE EXTRADITION OF MAURIZIO FOLINI, WANTED
IN ITALY FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE "RED BRIGADES",
AND PERMITTED HIM TO GO FREE. IN DECEMBER JUSTICE
MINISTER ROTIS REFUSED EXTRADITION TO ITALY OF
PALESTINIAN ABDEL OZAMA AL-ZUMAR, WANTED FOR HIS
ROLE IN THE 1982 FATAL BOMBING OF A ROME SYNAGOGUE
BY THE ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION, AND ALLOWED HIM TO
DEPART FOR LIBYA. IN BOTH CASES THE JUSTICE
MINISTERS CITED THE SUPPOSEDLY "POLITICAL"
CHARACTER OF THE CRIMES AS THE BASIS FOR
OVERRULING THE GREEK JUDICIARY. MINISTER ROTIS
WENT SO FAR AS TO PUBLICLY REFER TO AL-ZUMAR'S
CRIME AS "AN ACT ON BEHALF OF FREEDOM" WHICH HE
COMPARED TO THE WARTIME RESISTANCE IN GREECE TO
THE NAZI OCCUPATION.


7. THE SINGLE SUCCESS IN COUNTER-TERRORISM IN
GREECE DURING 1988 WAS THE DETENTION ON MAY 30 OF
PALESTINIAN MOHAMMED RASHID, WANTED IN THE UNITED
STATES FOR THE 1982 BOMBING OF A PAN AMERICAN
AIRLINER OVER THE PACIFIC IN WHICH A FOURTEEN-YEAR
OLD JAPANESE BOY WAS KILLED. ON OCTOBER 10 AN
ATHENS COURT VOTED TWO-TO-ONE IN FAVOR OF THE U.S.
REQUEST FOR THE EXTRADITION OF RASHID. AT YEAR'S
END, THE CASE IS BEFORE THE GREEK SUPREME COURT
FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE DECISION OF THE LOWER
COURT. UNDER THE GREEK CONSTITUTION AND THE TERMS
OF THE BILATERAL EXTRADITION TREATY, THE FINAL
DECISION ON EXTRADITION WILL LIE WITH THE GREEK
GOVERNMENT IN THE PERSON OF THE MINISTER OF
JUSTICE. THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT HAS MADE NO
SECRET OF THE GREAT SIGNIFICANCE IT ATTACHES TO
THE SUCCESSFUL EXTRADITION OF RASHID AND THE
IMPORTANT PRECEDENT WHICH WOULD BE ESTABLISHED BY
BRINGING HIM TO JUSTICE.


8. GREECE MAINTAINS DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH THE
PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANIZATION (PLO) AND
PERMITS A PLO OFFICE TO OPERATE IN ATHENS.
HOWEVER, GREECE HAS NOT RECOGNIZED THE
RECENTLY-DECLARED "PALESTINIAN STATE".


9. DURING THE SECOND HALF OF 1988 IN CONNECTION
WITH ITS ROLE AS ROTATING PRESIDENT OF THE
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY, GREECE CHAIRED THE ACTIVITIES
OF THE TREVI GROUP, A COORDINATING BODY OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS OF EC MEMBERS TO WHICH OTHER
COUNTRIES, INCLUDING THE U.S., HAVE OBSERVER
STATUS. GREECE THEREFORE HOSTED THE SEMI-ANNUAL
MINISTERIAL MEETING OF THE TREVI GROUP IN ATHENS
DECEMBER 8-9. THIS EVENT WAS UNFORTUNATELY
OVERSHADOWED BY THE RELEASE OF AL-ZUMAR ON THE EVE
OF THE MEETING.

KEELEY