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