THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 23 DECEMBER 1975

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006014986
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: December 23, 1975

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The President's Daily Brief
December 23, 1975
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of ED. 11652
exemption category 58(11.(2),13)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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December 23, 1975
Table of Contents
Lebanon: We cannot confirm press reports that Syr-
ian army troops have joined in the fighting.
In Beirut, clashes remain at a relatively low
level one week after the latest cease-fire
was proclaimed. (Page 1)
USSR
USSR-Turkey: Soviet Premier Kosygin will arrive
in Turkey on Friday for a five-day visit.
(Page 3)
Bangladesh-India-USSR: Strongman General Zia ur-
Rahman reportedly is concerned about the threat
of further trouble in the army. The USSR has
also expressed its concern about the situation
in Bangladesh. (Page 5)
Notes: Cuba; Austria; India; Laos-Thailand; Argen-
tina (Pages 7, 8, and 9)
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MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
Golan
Heights
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LEBANON
We cannot confirm press reports that
Syrian army troops have joined in the
fighting at Zahlah, Lebanon.
Fighting in Beirut remains at a rel-
atively low level one week after the
latest cease-fire was proclaimed. More
serious clashes continue in the Tripoli-
Zagharta area and in villages south and
east of the capitaZ.
There were heavy clashes and artillery ex-
changes between Zahlah and the neighboring village
of Saadnayel on Sunday and Monday. These involved
primarily Christian and Muslim private militias and
the Lebanese army, which for several months has
tried to restore calm in the area.
Elements of the Syrian-controlled Saiqa feda-
yeen organization probably have also been involved
in the clashes. There are approximately 3,000 Saiqa
troops in Lebanon; at least 500 of these are in the
immediate Bekaa Valley area.
The reports of foreign intervention may have
come from Ilyas Harawi, who is a member of parlia-
ment from Zahlah and a Maronite Christian ally of
Interior Minister Shamun. Harawi has tended to
exaggerate the ferocity of the fighting in his home
area, and may have misrepresented Saiqa forces as
Syrian regulars to discredit Lebanese Muslims and
leftists by suggesting that they must depend on
outside support.
President Franjiyah is convinced that increased
numbers of Palestinian and Syrian troops have re-
cently infiltrated Lebanon from Syria. r
Prime Minister Karami was in Damascus yester-
day to continue his talks with Syrian leaders.
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USSR
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USSR-TURKEY
Soviet Premier Kosygin will arrive
in Turkey on Friday for a five-day visit.
The inauguration of the Iskenderun steel
plant, which is being constructed largely
with Soviet aid, is the ostensible reason
for the visit. Kosygin will use the occa-
sion, however, to continue Moscow's low-
key efforts to exploit US-Turkish friction
and to improve Soviet relations with An-
kara.
In conversations with Turkish Prime Minister
Demirel, Kosygin will probably urge continued eco-
nomic cooperation and may indicate that the USSR
is willing to sell Turkey military equipment.
Kosygin may also raise the subject of extra-
dition of two Soviet air hijackers who fled to
Turkey in 1970.
Whatever the Immediate outcome, the incident has
prompted the Soviets to propose to Ankara that an
agreement be worked out on air piracy.
In discussions on Cyprus, Kosgyin will restate
the formal Soviet position favoring a unitary Cy-
prus, but he will not press the issue. He may
point out that Moscow has followed a policy of
benign neutrality toward the Turkish occupation.
The Turks in general will continue their ef-
forts to improve relations with their Communist
neighbors, without, of course, altering relations
with the West. These efforts have accelerated
since Turkey's difficulties with the US over the
arms embargo, and the Turks no doubt view Kosgyin's
visit as a useful signal to the West that Turkey
cannot be taken for granted.
(continued)
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1 l../1\ I III. 1 IVL.0/1_,L,IN
The Iskenderun project that Kosgyin will ded-
icate is one of Moscow's largest aid projects,
involving $420 million in Soviet credits. Construc-
tion began in 1970; the first stage, now being
opened, will be able to produce 1.1 million tons
of steel annually.
Moscow and Ankara signed an economic and tech-
nical cooperation agreement last July that may pro-
vide credits up to $600-700 million for several
projects. Expansion of Iskenderun to an annual
capacity of 4 million tons is envisioned in this
accord.
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BANGLADESH-INDIA-USSR
Bangladesh strongman General Zia
ur?Rahman reportedly is concerned about
the threat of further trouble in the army.
Enlisted men from two army units in Dacca are
said to be refusing the transfer of their units to
outlying posts. They are demanding the return to
Bangladesh of two of their former officers who were
exiled last month/
The commander of New Delhi's forces in eastern
India seemed convinced, when speaking with the US
consul general in Calcutta on Sunday, that General
Zia's position is weakening. The commander fore-
cast another period of disorder in Bangladesh, but
continued to maintain that his troops are not pre-
paring for intervention.
The USSR has once again expressed its concern
over the situation in Bangladesh. In a conversa-
tion with Ambassador Stoessel a few days ago, So-
viet Deputy Foreign Minister Firyubin repeatedly
stressed the importance Moscow attaches to the pres-
ervation of stability in South Asia.
The Soviets believe the turmoil in Bangladesh
is a direct result of outside interference. Moscow
persists in seeing China's hand in the allegedly
anti-Soviet activities of extremist groups in Bang-
ladesh. The planned establishment of a Chinese
diplomatic mission in Dacca has heightened Moscow's
concern.
In an effort to reduce Soviet suspicions, a
special envoy from Bangladesh, Tabarak Husain,
visited Moscow for three days last week. Husain
probably sought to assure the Soviets that Dacca
would continue its policy of nonalignment and would
do its best to put down disturbances in the country-
side.
(continued)
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NOTES
The reorganization of Cuba's Communist Party
at its first party congress indicates that Cuban
policies are now more closely aligned with Moscow's
than ever before.
The "re-election" of Fidel and Raul Castro was
announced yesterday by Fabio Grobart, probably the
only surviving member of the group that formed the
first Cuban Communist Party in August 1925. The
selection of the Polish-born, 70-year-old Grobart--
long suspected of being a Soviet agent--to make the
announcement, and the lengthy praise he gave Fidel,
were probably intended to signify the total unity
of views of the Cuban communist leadership. The
elevation of Grobart and two other pre-revolution-
ary communists to the Political Bureau gives three
of the 13 seats to "old" communists, who previously
had no representation.
Austria's Chancellor Bruno Kreisky is defend-
ing his handling of the OPEC terrorist incident in
the face of strong criticism at home and abroad.
Several Arab countries have criticized Austria
for failing to provide adequate security measures
for the OPEC meeting, while Israel and some of
Kreisky's domestic political opponents have scored
him for giving in so easily. The Chancellor said
he rejected long, drawn-out negotiations because
there already had been casualties, and the safety
of the hostages would have been further jeopardized
if the government delayed granting the concessions.
The main opposition party, the Austrian Peo-
ple's Party, may try to exploit the security issue
by pointing out the deficiencies that have left the
government virtually helpless on two occasions.
The other occasion was in 1973 when Kreisky ordered
the closure of a Jewish transit camp to save the
lives of four hostages held at the Vienna airport
by two Arabs. The Austrian government will be es-
pecially anxious to improve security because of its
hopes to turn Vienna into another "UN city."
(continued)
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_ _ _
India's newly named Minister of Defense Bansi
Lal is a close ally of Prime Minister Gandhi's in-
creasingly influential son, Sanjay.
Lal, a former chief minister of Haryana state,
entered the cabinet for the first time only a month
ago as a minister without portfolio. He is con-
sidered a tough and efficient administrator whose
views are compatible with Sanjay's conservative
orientation. He replaces long-time cabinet member
Swaran Singh, whom Gandhi ousted last month; in the
intervening period, the Prime Minister held the
defense portfolio herself. Sanjay reportedly is
the driving force behind a move to replace older
cabinet members, such as the 68-year-old Singh,
with younger, presumably more vigorous figures.
Vientiane is seeking help from non-communist
diplomatic missions to persuade Bangkok to reopen
the Thai-Lao border.
The Lao deputy foreign minister yesterday sum-
moned the US, British, Malaysian, and Indonesian
charggs to his office, admitted that the economic
situation in Vientiane was bad, and attributed it
to Bangkok's closing the border following the mid-
November clash along the Mekong. The official said
that the Lao would not meet the Thai demand for
negotiations on border problems, but indicated that
his government would be willing to exchange views
on an agenda for talks after Bangkok reopened the
border. He asked all four governments to intervene
with Bangkok.
Vientiane has been unable to circumvent the
border closure by obtaining sufficient supplies
through Vietnam. Yesterday, Thai officials did
give the Soviets permission to begin airlifting
Soviet aid that had been stranded in Thailand.
(continued)
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_ _ . . _
Rebellious Argentine air force officers came
to terms yesterday with their superiors, ending the
insurrection they began last Thursday.
No air bases remain in rebel hands. The reb-
els' only success, achieved early in the uprising,
was the replacement of their commander in chief.
The underlying problem--the status of President
Peron--remains unresolved.
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Top Secret
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