ETHIOPIA: 1990 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ADDIS ABABA 05620


FOR S/CT BREELAND

E.0.12356: DECL:OADR
TAGS: PTER
SUBJ: ETHIOPIA: 1990 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

REF: STATE 355397

1. C-ENTIRE TEXT.

2. THE FOLLOWING IS A RESPONSE TO PARA 5 OF REFTEL:

A) POST HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION REGARDING
GOVERNMENT PROSECUTIONS OF TERRORISTS. IN MARCH,
1990, A BOMB BLAST AT THE HILTON HOTEL RESULTED IN
THE EXPULSION OF TWO LIBYAN DIPLOMATS. THE
EXPULSION OCCURRED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THE BLAST, AND
THE MISSION HAS NO INFORMATION REGARDING THE
INVESTIGATION LEADING TO THE GPDRE ACTION.

B) POST HAS NO RECORD OF THE GPDRE REQUESTING
EXTRADITION FOR SUSPECTED TERRORISTS.

C) IN TERMS OF PROSECUTION, POST CANNOT IMAGINE THE
GPDRE EXPERIENCING ANY IMPEDIMENTS; IT WOULD LIKELY
BE SWIFT AND BRUTAL. IN TERMS OF EXTRADITION, IT
WOULD LIKELY BE DEPENDENT UPON WHETHER THE GPDRE HAS
AN EXTRADITION TREATY WITH THE REQUESTING COUNTRY.
THERE IS CURRENTLY NO EXTRADITION TREATY WITH THE
U.S.

D) THE GPDRE HAS PROFESSED A DESIRE TO ASSIST IN
OTHER INTERNATIONAL MATTERS-I.E., NARCOTICS
TRAFFICKING - BUT HAS PROVIDED NO SPECIFICS ON
TERRORIST MATTERS. THIS MAY BE A DELICATE SUBJECT
FOR THEM, AS THE PLO IS RECOGNIZED AND REPRESENTED
IN THIS COUNTRY.

E) POST IS NOT AWARE OF ANY MAJOR COUNTERTERRORIST
EFFORTS UNDERTAKEN BY THE GPDRE. THEY HAVE MADE A
MAJOR EFFORT TO COUNTERACT EPLF AND TPLF ACTIVITY IN
ADDIS (AND THAT COUNTRYSIDE STILL UNDER GOVERNMENT
CONTROL),WHOM THEY REGARD AS TERRORISTS. THE EPLF
AND TPLF ARE FAR TOO LARGE, STRONG, AND OCCUPY TOO
MUCH ETHIOPIAN TERRITORY TO BE CONSIDERED TERRORISTS.

F) POST HAS NOT DISCOVERED ANY ETHIOPIAN SUPPORT
FOR TERRORIST GROUPS OR INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM,
ASIDE FROM ETHIOPIAN RECOGNITION OF THE PLO. THE
CURRENT GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTS AT RAPPROCHEMENT WITH
THE WEST HAS MEANT INCREASED SECURITY SURVEILLANCE
OF THE PLO, LIBYANS, AND IRAQIS.

G) POST HAS HEARD NOTHING FROM THE GPDRE THAT COULD
BE CONSIDERED AS SUPPORTING TERRORISM, OF AN ACTION
FROM THE "TERRORISM LIST" OF COUNTRIES. IN FACT,
ETHIOPIA HAS COME OUT STRONGLY IN SUPPORT OF THE
U.N. POSITION CONDEMNING IRAQ FOR ITS INVASION OF
KUWAIT.

H) THE GPDRE HAS GIVEN THE APPEARANCE OF BEING
SUPPORTIVE OF COUNTERTERRORISM EFFORTS, THOUGH
EMBASSY EFFORTS TO SECURE A TERRORISM LIAISON FOR
THE RSO HAVE NOT YET BEEN FRUITFUL (THEY HAVE BEEN
ONGOING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS). THIS INCREASED
COOPERATIVE SPIRIT IS A TREND SEEN OVER THE LAST 18
MONTHS, AS THE GPDRE TURNS AWAY FROM COMMUNISM AND
BEGINS A TURN TOWARDS THE WEST.

2. IF S/CT REQUIRES ANY MORE DETAILED INFORMATION,
PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO ASK. REGARDS.

HOUDEK