THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 18 OCTOBER 1975

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006014931
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: October 18, 1975

AL
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The President's Daily Brief
October 18, 1975
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00936A012800010042-9
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Exempt from general
declassification sshedule of E.O. I 1652
exemption category 5B( 1),(2),(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
IV 4 I".?
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USSR:/
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
October 18, 1975
Table of Contents
(Page 1)
Egypt-UN: Cairo's political maneuvering is causing
last-minute problems as the UN Security Coun-
cil prepares to vote on renewing the mandate
of the UN force in the Sinai, which expires
next Friday. (Page 2)
Israel: Defense Minister Peres has elaborated his
position on several key issues regarding fu-
ture Arab-Israeli negotiations. (Page 3)
Lebanon: a PLO document
that represents a major effort by the PLO to
improve its relations with the Lebanese gov-
ernment. Clashes in Beirut overnight ended
two days of relative calm. (Page 5)
Portugal: The anti-government campaign being waged
by the left has sparked rumors that radical
military officers are planning a coup.
(Page 7)
Notes: USSR; Israel-Syria; Angola; Argentina
(Pages 8 and 9)
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EGYPT-UN
Egyptian political maneuvering is
causing last-minute problems as the UN
Security Council prepares to vote on
renewing for one year the mandate of
the UN Emergency Force in the Sinai,
which expires next Friday.
Cairo says it will refuse to approve any docu-
ment or resolution that mentions Israeli acceptance
of a renewed mandate. The Egyptians say that, be-
cause the UNEF operates on their territory, Israel
can have no acknowledged voice in determining the
duration of the mandate. In the past, the Egyptians
have gone along with the UN practice of asking both
parties to consent to an extension.
This time, the Egyptians are particularly anx-
ious to show their Arab allies that the UNEF oper-
ates solely at the sufferance of Egypt and that
relevant decisions are not determined by Israel.
Egypt is thus trying to limit the damage caused
in its relations with some Arab states--notably
Syria--by its decision to sign the latest disen-
gagement accord.
Secretary General Waldheim is to release his
report on UNEF's operations for the Security Coun-
cil's consideration before the vote on renewal next
week. The report is not likely to touch on sensi-
tive political issues, but financing of an enlarged
force to carry out expanded responsibilities remains
an unresolved and divisive problem.
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ISRAEL
Defense Minister Peres recently
elaborated his position on several key
issues regarding future Arab-Israeli
negotiations
Peres sees no
possibility of negotiating a final peace agreement
with Syria under present circumstances. He said
it might be possible to obtain another interim
agreement with Damascus, but such an agreement would
have to involve more than "cosmetic" changes. He
said Tel Aviv would demand that President Asad agree
to extend the UN mandate on the Golan for three to
five years and accept language similar to that in
the latest Sinai agreement.
Peres
indi
cated the government does not wish to
repeat its Sinai negotiating experience and will
first try to learn Syria's minimum demands before
presenting any detailed maps of its own.
Peres dismissed the idea of an informal multi-
party conference to facilitate negotiations with
Syria on the grounds that negotiations could be
successful only if they were limited to the parties
directly concerned, with the possible addition of
Secretary Kissinger. He did not think talks could
get under way before the UN mandate on the Golan
expires on November 30.
Peres seemed convinced of the need to renew
the UN mandate. He speculated that, as a face-
saving gesture to enable Asad to approve a renewal
before the November deadline, Secretary Kissinger
might arrange a special conference for the purpose
of announcing a date for the resumption of talks
sometime next February or March. Peres thinks Da-
mascus is interested in another six-month extension
to get through the winter, give it more time to
strengthen relations with Jordan, and see how the
situation in Lebanon develops.
(continued)
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On Lebanon, the Israeli defense minister stated
flatly that Israel would not make a preemptive mili-
tary move into southern Lebanon. He warned, how-
ever, that while Tel Aviv does not plan to counter
Syrian political involvement in Lebanon, Syrian mili-
tary intervention would result in Israeli counter-
action. Damascus, he thought, is mindful of Israel's
position on this score.
Peres insisted Tel Aviv would not negotiate
with the Palestine Liberation Organization.
all Israeli cabinet
ministers
I believe they have
complete US backing for their position.
Peres ruled out the possibility of tying the
Palestinian issue to negotiations with Syria as
demanded by President Asad because, he said, Damas-
cus would insist on PLO participation in the dis-
cussions. He admitted the Palestinian issue can-
not be swept under the rug indefinitely, but he
only repeated Tel Aviv's standard line that the is-
sue should be taken up in the context of negotia-
tions with Jordan.
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LEBANON
memorandum
by the Palestine Liberation Organization
as the basis for PLO-Lebanese relations.
The document represents a major effort
by the PLO to improve its relations with
the Lebanese government.
Clashes between Christians and Mus-
lims in Beirut last night ended two days
of relative calm.
The PLO memorandum rejects the idea of the
Palestinians settling permanently in Lebanon, re-
nounces the use of force to settle Lebanese-Pales-
tinian differences, and calls for all Lebanese,
including the Phalangists, to accept the Palestin-
ian presence in Lebanon as legal.
Most important, it states that the government
should exercise authority over all Lebanese terri-
tory. The PLO believes that even if it
turns its policing function over to the Lebanese
army and security forces, the fedayeen would retain
ultimate authority in most areas because of their
overwhelming power in the neighboring refugee camps.
dum snowed a constructive
for a fruitful exchange.
more cautious.
the memoran-
spirit and paved the way
Christian leaders were
the true test of the Palestinians'
intentions would be their readiness to begin imple-
menting the memorandum.
(continued)
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According to press reports, several persons
died last night in Muslim-Christian clashes in
Beirut, and kidnapings by both sides continued to
occur. Our embassy reports that traffic into the
city this morning was not as heavy as yesterday,
although all access roads are open. A Beirut paper
states that economic losses this year resulting
from the conflict may amount to $3.5 billion, an
estimate the US embassy believes is reasonable.
Press estimates of those killed in all the fighting
this year range from just over 1,500 to over 8,000,
with 6,000 the figure most often reported.
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PORTUGAL
The anti-government campaign being
waged by the Communists and the far left
has sparked rumors that radical military
officers are planning to overthrow Prime
Minister Azevedo's government. Given the
shaky condition of the government, a move
against it cannot be completely ruled out,
but the near term will more likely bring
another struggle between dissident and
loyal elements in the military.
We have been unable so far to determine the
validity of the latest rumors of an imminent left-
ist coup attempt. These rumors, as did earlier
ones, say the attempt is to come before November
11, the date Angola is scheduled to become indepen-
dent. The rationale is that it would be necessary
for the new leaders to be in control in Lisbon if
they are to influence the eventual outcome in An-
gola. In fact, events in Angola have taken on a
momentum of their own, and there is little any gov-
ernment in Lisbon can do to alter their course.
The radical "Soldiers United Will Win" organi-
zation is continuing its protests against the gov-
ernment on several fronts, including a threat of
more violence by the mutinous leftist soldiers in
Porto. In response to the unrest, President Costa
Gomes yesterday announced tough directives aimed at
recovering illegal arms, many of which are thought
to be in the hands of extreme leftists.
The uncertainties in mainland Portugal appear
to have stirred new separatist activity in the
Azores. The military has tightened security, but
doubts have been raised about the reliability of
the army troops stationed in the islands.
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NOTES
The SL-12 booster is the
mainstay of Soviet lunar and planetary exploration
programs. It has been very reliable in recent years,
after overcoming serious problems in its early de-
velopment.
The National Front for the Liberation of Angola,
probably supported by Zairian troops, has steppe
up its drive toward Luanda.
Heavy fighting is reported less than 13 miles
from the capital between forces of the National
Front and the Popular Movement for the Liberation
of Angola. According to a press account, an advance
contingent of the Front has advanced to within sight
of Luanda's outer industrial area. Since it was
forced to withdraw from Luanda last June, the National
Front has tried to discredit the Popular Movement's
claim to control the capital area by mounting a
siege of the city rather than fighting its way back
in. The Front may change its plans, however, if it
encounters less resistance than it expects.
(continued)
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Argentine President Maria Estela Peron appears
to have bought some time for her government with
the non-controversial speech she gave yesterday at
a major Peronist rally.
Peron adhered closely to a prepared text obvi-
ously approved in advance by Peronist and military
leaders. It touched on three popular themes--evok-
ing her husband's memory, denouncing terrorism, and
promising support for the armed forces in their
fight against subversion. The surface calm is
likely to be temporary, for the return of the widely
discredited President undoubtedly will
litical tensions.
it seems unlikely that the armed forces will take
any immediate action after having permitted Peron
to resume the presidency.
increase po-
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Top Secret
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