THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 31 DECEMBER 1975

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006014992
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: December 31, 1975

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December 31, 1975
The President's Daily Brief
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 5B(I ),(2).(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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December 31, 1975
'Table of Contents
Angola: With the Organization of African Unity's
emergency summit now less than two weeks off,
the tempo of fighting is likely to increase
in Angola as the rival regimes attempt to im-
press African leaders with their strength.
(Page 1)
Saudi Arabia - Jordan - Syria:
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Lebanon: President Franjiyah and Syrian President
Asad reportedly have reached agreement on the
broad outlines of a political settlement for
Lebanon. (Page 4)
Thailand: Growing discontent over Prime Minister
Khukrit's handling of various economic and
political problems is prompting the first
serious challenge to the eight-month-old
coalition. (Page 5)
Mexico: Mexico's position on Zionism and its sub-
sequent awkward somersault on the issue ap-
parently led to Foreign Secretary Rabasa's
resignation on Monday. (Page 6)
Note: Libya (Page 7)
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ANGOLA
With the Organization of African
Unity's emergency summit now less than
two weeks off, the tempo of fighting
in Angola is likely to pick up as the
rival regimes attempt to impress Afri-
can leaders with their strength.
In northern Angola, the National Front with-
drew yesterday from Camabatela after Popular Move-
ment forces bombarded the town with rockets.
The Popular Movement is trying to create an
impression of African nations banding together
against the much-publicized South African inter-
vention on behalf of the National Union and Na-
tional Front. A Popular Movement military spokes-
man announced in Georgetown, Guyana, yesterday,
that Nigeria, Congo, and Guinea-Bissau are ready
to send troops to support the Popular Movement.
(continued)
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It seems unlikely that either Nigeria or Congo
plans any such involvement. In both cases, domestic
political considerations would reinforce the reluc-
tance that most African states have to becoming in-
volved in the internal affairs of another African
country. Some troops from the former Portuguese
territory of Guinea-Bissau, on the other hand, al-
ready may be fighting alongside the Popular Move-
ment. Relations between the ruling party in Bissau
and the Popular Movement have long been especially
close.
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SAUDI ARABIA ? JORDAN ? SYRIA
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LEBANON
Lebanese President Franjiyah and
Syrian President Asad reportedly have
reached agreement on the broad outlines
of a political settlement for Lebanon.
According to a former Lebanese
foreign minister who has been serving as Franjiyah's
emissary , the understanding allows for:
--Franjiyah to remain in office until his term
ends next September.
--Formal meetings between Franjiyah and Prime
Minister Karami, as representatives of the
country's Christian and Muslim communities,
to negotiate the details of a settlement.
--Concessions by Lebanese Christians to bol-
ster the power of the prime minister and
strengthen Muslim representation in parliament
and the civil service.
--Implementation of existing agreements be-
tween the Lebanese government and the Pales-
tinians.
--Syrian and perhaps other international guar-
antees that the agreement will be respected
by Lebanese Muslims and the Palestinians.
--An outside "reconstruction and security
mission" to ensure civil order until the Leb-
anese police force can be expanded to an ef-
fective level.
It will take several months to implement this
agreement, if it succeeds at all. Armed clashes
are certain to recur during this time, and are
likely to delay or even undermine the planned talks
between Franjiyah and Karami. The continued heavy
fighting over the past two months prompted the two
to disregard an earlier commitment to enter into
direct talks on concrete reform proposals.
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THAILAND
Growing discontent over Prime Min-
ister Khukrit's handling of various eco-
nomic and political problems is prompting
the first serious challenge to the eight-
month-old coalition.
Khukrit clearly is in trouble.
the King, reflecting the view
of the conservative elite, has begun to speak openly
of the need for a "stronger" government. The op-
position Democrat Party, the largest single party
in the National Assembly, has indicated that it may
press for a special session of parliament to vote
on a no-confidence motion.
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In addition, the leaders of the Federation of
Labor Unions of Thailand have threatened to strike
on January 2 in protest against the government's
decision to raise the price of rice and sugar at
the beginning of the new year--a move that in it-
self could precipitate a political crisis.
Unless the Prime Minister begins to move force-
fully in dealing with the economic and political
problems now facing him, it is clear that he will
be faced with a major parliamentary challenge when
the National Assembly convenes in early February,
if not earlier.
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MEXICO
Mexico's position on Zionism and its
subsequent awkward somersault on the issue
apparently Zed to Foreign Secretary Ra-
basa's resignation on Monday.
Rabasa was assigned the task of picking up the
pieces when President Echeverria's decision to vote
in favor of the UN resolution equating Zionism with
racism backfired, worsening relations with Israel
and with Jewish organizations in the US and Canada.
Faced with a loss of vital tourist and development
dollars, Echeverria reversed himself in a succession
of twists and turns that embarrassed Rabasa.
The Zionism issue was only the latest of seem-
ingly impulsive and erratic foreign policy decisions
made by Echeverria that have gone wrong. Mexico was
criticized for breaking all relations with Spain in
October in protest against the execution of Spanish
terrorists and for abruptly severing diplomatic re-
lations with Chile in November last year. In each
case, Rabasa has borne the brunt of the criticism.
Our embassy in Mexico also speculates that an-
other reason for Rabasa's resignation may be because
Echeverria is about to spring a new foreign policy
initiative that the foreign secretary could not
abide. This latest move could be Mexico's recogniz-
ing the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola.
Echeverria met with the visiting prime minister of
Guinea over the weekend, and probably was urged to
support the Movement.
Rabasa's replacement, Alfonso Garcia Robles,
has headed the country's delegation to the UN since
1970 and has earned a high reputation for his work
on disarmament matters.
His appointment does not imply any modi-
fication in Mexican foreign policy and, in any event,
he will probably be replaced when Echeverria's des-
ignated successor, Jose Lopez Portillo, takes over
a year from now.
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NOTE
Libya
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,
Top Secret
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