THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 17 APRIL 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006015085
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: April 17, 1976

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013300010016-2
The President's Daily Brief
April 17, 1976
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category, 58(1),(2),(3)
declassified onlY on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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I" TC inc (JAL,
April 17, 1976
Table of Contents
Lebanon: Fatah chief Arafat returned from Damascus yesterday
having made no apparent progress in bridging the impasse be-
tween Syria and Lebanese leftist leader Jumblatt over the
issue of Syrian intervention. (Page 1)
Syria-Lebanon:
USSR-Lebanon: The Soviet Union, although uncomfortable with Syr-
ia's role in Lebanon, apparently regards it as the best way
out of the crisis. (Page 3)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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LEBANON: Fatah chief
Yasir Arafat, who has
been trying to mediate
the quarrel between
Syria and Lebanese left-
ist leader Kamal Jum-
blatt over Syrian in-
tervention, returned
from Syria yesterday
having made no appar-
ent progress.
Although there appears to be a
serious impasse, Damascus may be
more flexible on some issues than
it is willing to admit publicly
and may have given some ground
during private talks with Arafat.
The Syrian press says Damascus
has agreed to revive the joint
Lebanese-Syrian-Palestinian truce
committee as Jumblatt wished, but
only until a new president is
elected. This qualification al-
most certainly reflects Syrian
President Asad's hope that Leba-
non's next president will ask
Syrian troops to remain as a
peace-keeping force. Jumblatt has
been insisting the troops withdraw
immediately.
Asad was able to get a public com-
mitment from Arafat and his dele-
gation of independent fedayeen of-
ficials that they support the cur-
rent truce and favor a continua-
tion of Syrian mediation. This
endorsement of Syria's role from
Arafat--who has been playing both
sides of the dispute--puts Jum-
blatt on notice that he now stands
alone in his defiance of Damascus.
In any event, Jumblatt has little
choice but to continue with the
Palestinian mediation effort and
reportedly is prepared to do so.
The urgings by the Syrians and
Arafat that all parties respect
the cease-fire have had no signif-
icant effect on the warring fac-
tions, although the fighting ap-
pears to have slackened in the
north and in the mountains east
of Beirut. There have been no
signs of significant advances by
Syrian troops in Lebanon nor evi-
dence that additional forces have
crossed the border.
1
--continued
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BWIARAT
f(114$
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
BEIRUT
Masna
DAMASCUS
559627 4-76
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LF It I 1 L It LI LI A V A VA VA-I A
SYRIA-LEBANON:
The US assistant defense attache
in Tel Aviv reports that Israel
has taken some military precau-
tions in light of the Lebanese
crisis, despite the military's
generally relaxed posture for the
Passover holidays.
The attache believes that the Is-
raelis have moved an additional
armored battalion--about 36 tanks--
to the Golan Heights, although he
has not yet been able to verify
the move. The battalion appar-
ently is a regular unit, and not
one that was recently mobilized.
the Israeli armored corps has
halted field training exercises
and is now concentrating on get-
ting its equipment in good work-
ing order.
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A V It I II 1-4 A A A A v.., A ? A
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USSR-LEBANON: The So-
viet Union, although
uncomfortable with Syr-
ia's role in Lebanon,
apparently regards it
as the best way out of
the crisis. Moscow con-
tinues to endorse Syr-
ian mediation efforts,
but in increasingly
lukewarm terms.
Two Soviet scholar-journalists who
tend to be quasi-official trouble-
shooters arrived in Beirut late
this week; they have been meeting
with Lebanese politicians, presum-
ably to see whether there is any
opening for Soviet moves. The So-
viets have been asked by Lebanese
leftist leader Jumblatt and Fatah
chief Arafat to press Syria to
end its intervention in Lebanon.
A Soviet official has commented on
the disarray in fedayeen ranks
caused by Syrian actions. The
USSR is concerned that if Syria
comes to dominate Lebanon, Arafat's
leadership position could be chal-
lenged by a pro-Syrian faction.
Moscow has its problems with Ara-
fat, but thinks his leadership of
an independent Palestinian move-
ment best serves long-term Soviet
interests.
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1 11L L., .1-1.L V A S. 1. V
Moscow also fears the results of
tacit US-Syrian cooperation over
Lebanon. Some Soviet officials
have speculated that the US has
"accepted" Syria's actions in Leba-
non in return for a promise by
Syrian President Asad to negotiate
on the Golan Heights.
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-
Top Secret
.t,
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