SYRIANS RELEASE 45 LEBANESE SUNNI ISLAMIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 08839 STATE FOR HA, NEA/ARN LONDON FOR JOHNSON PARIS FOR ROSENBLATT E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV PINS PTER KISL SY LE IR SUBJECT: SYRIANS RELEASE 45 LEBANESE SUNNI ISLAMIC - FUNDAMENTALISTS AS PART OF DECEMBER 1 AMNESTY REF: DAMASCUS 8757 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (U) THE LEBANESE NEWSPAPER "AL-NAHAR" REPORTED DECEMBER 4 THAT 45 MEMBERS OF THE ISLAMIC UNIFICATION MOVEMENT (HARIKAT AL-TAWHID AL-ISLAMI),WHO WERE IMPRISONED IN SYRIA, WERE FREED AND RETURNED TO THEIR HOMES IN TRIPOLI, LEBANON, AS PART OF THE AMNESTY COVERING 554 POLITICAL DETAINEES WHICH WAS ANNOUNCED IN DAMASCUS ON DECEMBER 1. A TAWHID SPOKESMAN CLAIMED IN THE SAME ARTICLE THAT THE SYRIANS ARE STILL DETAINING 120 MEMBERS OF TAWHID. WE NOTICE FROM FBIS REPORTING THAT RADIO TEHRAN REPORTED THE SAME NEWS ON DECEMBER 3. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: THE RELEASE OF THE LEBANESE TAWHID MEMBERS ELABORATES ON THE ASSERTION IN THE LEBANESE NEWSPAPER "L'ORIENT-LE JOUR" THAT MANY OF THOSE FREED UNDER THE DECEMBER 1 AMNESTY WERE ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISTS. WE HAVE ASSUMED, ON THE BASIS OF PAST RELEASES, THAT A SIZEABLE PROPORTION OF RECENTLY LIBERATED PRISONERS WERE DETAINEES SUSPECTED OF HAVING HAD SOME SORT OF CONNECTION TO THE OUTLAWED SYRIAN MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD. THE "AL-NAHAR" AND IRANIAN ITEMS ARE THE FIRST INDICATIONS WE HAVE THAT LEBANESE DETAINEES ARE ALSO BENEFITING FROM THE DECEMBER 1 AMNESTY. THE TAWHID AL-ISLAMI FOUGHT THE SYRIAN ARMY IN TRIPOLI OFF AND ON UNTIL 1985, WHEN (FOLLOWING THE TAWHID'S KIDNAPPING OF SOVIET DIPLOMATS) THE SYRIANS INVESTED IN BITTER STREET FIGHTING TO NEUTRALIZE THE TAWHID AS A SECURITY THREAT. THERE HAS FOR A LONG TIME BEEN A BIZARRE CONNECTION BETWEEN SHIA IRAN AND TAWHID LEADER SAID SHA'BAN WHICH, IN THE MID-1980'S, WAS AN IRRITANT IN SYRIAN-IRANIAN RELATIONS. THE TAWHID WENT UNDERGROUND AFTER THE EVENTS OF 1985 AND MAY HAVE EVENTUALLY REACHED A MODUS VIVENDI WITH THE SYRIANS THAT PERMITS IT TO OPERATE OPENLY IN SOME FORM, THOUGH WE DEFER TO EMBASSY BEIRUT AND WASHINGTON ANALYSTS FOR DEFINITIVE WORD ON THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE TAWHID. ROSS