EXECUTIVE ORDER AMENDMENT: USAMA BIN LADIN

UNCLAS STATE 156972 E.O. 12958: DECL: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER ASEC SUBJECT: EXECUTIVE ORDER AMENDMENT: USAMA BIN LADIN ¶1. (U) POSTS MAY DRAW FROM THE FOLLOWING POINTS IN BRIEFING HOST COUNTRY INTERLOCUTORS AND RESPONDING TO INQUIRIES CONCERNING THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO AMEND EXECUTIVE ORDER 12947 TO INCLUDE USAMA BIN LADIN AND HIS KEY ASSOCIATES. ¶2. (U) BEGIN POINTS: -- ON AUGUST 20, 1998, PRESIDENT CLINTON AMENDED EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 12947 TO ADD USAMA BIN LADIN AND THE "ISLAMIC ARMY", AS WELL AS TWO KEY BIN LADIN ASSOCIATES, ABU HAFS AL-MASRI AND RAFA'I AHMAD TAHA MOUSA, TO THE LIST OF TERRORISTS SUBJECT TO THE PROHIBITIONS CONTAINED IN THAT EXECUTIVE ORDER. THESE PROHIBITIONS INCLUDE THE BLOCKING OF ALL PROPERTY AND INTERESTS IN THE PROPERTY OF THE TERRORISTS, THE PROHIBITION OF ANY TRANSACTION OR DEALING BY UNITED STATES PERSONS OR WITHIN THE UNITED STATES IN PROPERTY OR INTERESTS IN PROPERTY OF THE TERRORISTS, AND THE PROHIBITION OF ANY TRANSACTION BY ANY UNITED STATES PERSONS OR WITHIN THE UNITED STATES THAT EVADES OR AVOIDS, OR HAS THE PURPOSE OF EVADING OR AVOIDING, ANY OF THE PROHIBITIONS SET FORTH IN THE EXECUTIVE ORDER. -- THE PRESIDENT FIRST ISSUED THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER ON JANUARY 23, 1995, TO COUNTER THE THREAT POSED BY GRAVE ACTS OF VIOLENCE COMMITTED BY FOREIGN TERRORISTS SEEKING TO DISRUPT THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS. SUCH TERRORIST ACTIVITIES POSE AN UNUSUAL AND EXTRAORDINARY THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES. -- USAMA BIN LADIN AND HIS ORGANIZATIONS AND ASSOCIATES HAVE REPEATEDLY CALLED UPON THEIR SUPPORTERS TO PERFORM ACTS OF VIOLENCE. BIN LADIN HAS DECLARED THAT KILLING AMERICANS AND THEIR ALLIES "IS AN INDIVIDUAL DUTY FOR EVERY MUSLIM IN ORDER TO LIBERATE THE AL-AQSA MOSQUE AND THE HOLY MOSQUE." -- WE BELIEVE IT IS ESSENTIAL TO THWART THE ABILITY OF USAMA BIN LADIN AND HIS ASSOCIATES TO FINANCE AND CARRY OUT TERRORISM. BIN LADIN DIRECTS A NETWORK THAT ORGANIZES, FUNDS, AND INSPIRES A WIDE RANGE OF ISLAMIC EXTREMIST GROUPS WHICH PERPETRATE ACTS OF TERRORISM AROUND THE WORLD. THE BIN LADIN NETWORK IS MULTI-NATIONAL AND HAS ESTABLISHED A WORLDWIDE PRESENCE. SENIOR FIGURES IN THE NETWORK ARE ALSO SENIOR LEADERS IN OTHER ISLAMIC TERRORIST NETWORKS, INCLUDING THOSE DESIGNATED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE AS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS, SUCH AS THE EGYPTIAN AL- GAMA'AT AL-ISLAMIYYA AND THE EGYPTIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD. -- WE HAVE CONVINCING INTELLIGENCE THAT BIN LADIN'S NETWORK, WORKING WITH OTHER TERRORIST GROUPS, WAS BEHIND THE HEINOUS ATTACKS OF AUGUST 7 AGAINST THE U.S. EMBASSIES IN NAIROBI, KENYA AND DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA. ELEMENTS OF BIN LADIN'S NETWORK WERE ALSO INVOLVED LAST WEEK IN A PLOT TO ATTACK OTHER U.S. EMBASSIES. -- THESE LATEST ATROCITIES IN AFRICA ARE NOT THE FIRST OCCASION IN WHICH MEMBERS OF BIN LADIN'S NETWORK HAVE CARRIED OUT ACTS OF TERRORISM AGAINST AMERICA AND ITS FRIENDS. -- THE BIN LADIN NETWORK SUPPORTS TERRORISTS IN AFGHANISTAN, BOSNIA, CHECHNYA, TAJIKISTAN, SOMALIA, YEMEN, AND NOW KOSOVO. IT ALSO TRAINS MEMBERS OF TERRORIST NETWORKS FROM SUCH DIVERSE COUNTRIES AS THE PHILIPPINES, ALGERIA AND ERITREA. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE RELIABLE EVIDENCE THAT THE BIN LADIN NETWORK HAS BEEN ACTIVELY SEEKING TO ACQUIRE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, INCLUDING CHEMICAL WEAPONS. -- WE ENCOURAGE OTHER GOVERNMENTS TO UNDERTAKE SIMILAR EFFORTS TO DISRUPT THE ACTIVITIES AND FINANCIAL DEALINGS OF BIN LADIN AND HIS ASSOCIATES. MINIMIZE CONSIDERED ALBRIGHT