THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 18 AUGUST 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006466742
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: August 18, 1976

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/05 : CIA-RDP79T00024A000200020002-1
The President's Daily Brief
August 18, 1976
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Top Secr0(1
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E 0 11652
exemption category 5B( 1).(2).0/
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
August 18, 1976
Table of Contents
Lebanon: President Franjiyah implied in a speech on Monday that
he was prepared to step down when his term expires on Septem-50X1
ber 23. The Christian offensive in the mountains east of
Beirut has not gained much momentum. Israeli naval units
appear to be stepping up their patrols along the coast of 50X1
Lebanon. (Page 1)
Egypt-Libya:
Turkey-Greece: The announced area of operations for the next
mission of the Turkish research ship Sismik I would seem
to decrease the chances of a Greek-Turkish incident.
(Page 4)
South Africa - Rhodesia:
Notes: Thailand; Iran-UK; Arab League Boycott (Pages 7 and 8)
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LEBANON: President
Franjiyah delivered a
major address on Monday
in which he implied
that he was prepared
to step down when his
term expires on Septem-
ber 23. There has been
growing concern in Bei-
rut that Franjiyah--
encouraged by Camille
Shamun--might try to
prevent president-elect
Sarkis from assuming
office.
Franjiyah did not refer to Sarkis
by name nor did he explicitly men-
tion the end of his term next
month, perhaps to avoid foreclos-
ing his options. Nevertheless,
his remarks sounded much like a
message of farewell. He blamed
the Palestinians for the tragedies
during his own administration, and
avoided direct criticism of Leba-
nese Muslims and repetition of the
Christians' conditions for a set-
tlement, mentioning only the need
for the Palestinians to adhere to
the 1969 Cairo accord.
The conciliatory tone of the
speech may have been intended to
improve the Christians' image in
the wake of their conquest of Tall
Zatar. It may also have been an
effort to improve relations with
conservative Muslim leaders, who
have recently been trying to reas-
sert their influence in Muslim-
held territory.
A loosely organized group of Sunni
Muslim leaders headed by Prime
Minister Karami and former prime
minister Saib Salam has recently
been considering ways to revive
public administration in west Bei-
rut and other Muslim areas and has
been working closely with Palestin-
ian leaders and some Christian
politicians who have remained rel-
atively neutral throughout the
war. The Muslim leaders have pro-
ceeded without consulting Fran-
jiyah, Shamun, or other right-wing
Christian government officials.
The personal animosity between
Franjiyah and Karami has prevent5dm
broader contacts between the Chris-
tian and Muslim establishments.
Karami has refused to attend cabi-
net meetings/
--continued
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MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
-620299 8-76
0
IA
MILES 20
0 KILOMETERS 20
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
The Christians have
been claiming major ad-
vances in their efforts
to retake Christian
villages in the moun-
tains east of Beirut,
but there is no evi-
dence that their offen-
sive has gained much
momentum.
Israeli naval unite ap-
pear to be stepping up
their patrols along the
southern and central
coast of Lebanon, pos-
sibly with the intent
of broadening their ef-
forts to interdict for-
eign ships suspected of
carrying munitions or
reinforcements for the
Palestinians and Leba-
nese leftists.
Palestinian de-
nials yesterday that Syrian forces
have captured the town of Hammana
on a key road junction just north
of the Beirut-Damascus highway.
The Christians may, in fact, be
delaying a major military drive
in the hope that talk of quick
victories will break Palestinian
morale.
There was no significant military
activity yesterday in other areas
of the country.
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Israeli state television on Mon-
day described the sea patrols as50X1
a naval blockade of Lebanon de-
signed to stop arm shipments to
the Palestinians and leftists.
The Palestine Liberation Organiza-
tion to present
an official protest against the
--continued
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EGYPT-LIBYA:
Israeli patrols--which it views
as a de facto blockade--to the UN
Security Council. Moscow's Pravda
yesterday denounced the Israeli
patrols as "piratical actions"
meant to cut off the Palestinians
and leftists from reinforcement by
sea and thus weaken their capacity
to fend off continuing Christian
attacks.
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Y U G 0 \SI AVIA
2[4 BULGARIA
\\ Lake
Lake Prespet
ALBANIA
SHIOS Bay
-40 --
Samothrace
/
Limnos"
N2A
Lesbos
35-
IONIAN
SEA.
tll Chios
Sismik I area of operation
-7 beginning August 19
,usadasi Bay Z ,-...------
6'
i
1 Cyclades
o v
44 e
,..,
a
'3 q,
q c.,
SEA 01' MARMARA
0
TURKEY
0
25
50
75
Miles
0
25
50
75
Kilometers
20
SEA OF CRETE
0
Rhodes,
a
218
?36--
620160 7-76
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TURKEY-GREECE: The an-
nounced area of opera-
tion in which the Turk-
ish research ship Sis-
mik I will conduct its
third mission in the
Aegean would seem to
decrease for the time
being the chances of a
Greek-Turkish incident.
The Turkish navy has informed mar-
iners that the ship is to operate
during the period of August 18 to
25 in an area bound roughly by the
Turkish coast and the Greek islands
of Chios, Ikaria, and Samos. Other
reports suggest that the ship may
not leave Izmir--where it has been
refueling for several days--until
midnight tonight and may spend
only about four days on this mis-
sion.
The area includes a zone outside
Turkish territorial waters but ap-
pears to avoid any of the overlap-
ping Greek-Turkish oil concessions
that stirred controversy during
the Sismik I's second mission.
--continued
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We have no indications
of any new Creek or
Turkish military devel-
opments.
*
SOUTH AFRICA - RHODESIA:
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No formal
Council session appears likely be-
fore Thursday.
The Greeks, however, are now aware
of recent Turkish amphibious prep-
arations at bases across from the
eastern Ae ean islands. 50X1
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Some 10,000 students
held a rally in Bangkok
yesterday to protest
the return to Thailand
of General Praphat, the
exiled former deputy
prime minister.
Iran
UK
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NOTES
The students have demanded Praphat's
immediate arrest and legal action
against those who assisted him to
return. Student leaders are plan-
ning another rally on Thursday to
"hear the government's reply" to
their demands.
It is now clear that Praphat did
arrive on Sunday and was assisted
by some of his army colleagues,
who may be trying to precipitate
public disturbances that would
discredit the civilian government.
To the embarrassment of the Seni
Pramot government, his whereabouts
remain a mystery, but Seni has
made clear that he wants Praphat
expelled again as soon as possiblA
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The ineffectiveness of
the Arab League boycott
against "Jewish-owned
banks" arg the loss of
lucrative business op-
portunities have appar-
ently influenced some
Arab financial houses
to relax their ban
against participation
in underwritings Zed
or co-managed by "Jew-
ish firms."
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Last week the Saudi Arabian In-
vestment Company was listed as an
underwriter of an issue managed
by two blacklisted firms. (
The Arabs' bank boycott was never
very effective. Blacklisted firms--
well-connected in the international
banking community--were still able
to use their influence to close
lucrative deals. The real losers
in the boycott were the Arab in-
vestment houses that excluded
themselves from participation in
or management of large interna-
tional offerings.
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