FACING SYRIANS, LEBANESE CHRISTIANS LOOK FOR ACCORD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000707090002-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 14, 2011
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: March 18, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/14 :CIA-RDP90-009658000707090002-0
~R'f~'?lf~j~P~'~ LOS ANGELES TIMES
~ p~E .1
18 March, 1985
? banes
Facing Syrians, Le w~
..
Chr~st~ans Look for Accord::
! ey CHARLES P. WALLACE, Tones staff R'*~''' - - -:
~ ? -,. A?~tour of the area south of the Abu Nader, who is Gemayel's
JUNIYAH; Lebanon-With Syr- I ~Y='~ checkpoint Sunday indicat- nephew, acknowledged that he is
ian troops poised on their perime- ~ that the Lebanese Forces have I about to be replaced as commander
ter, rebellious Christian militia ~ v virtually vanished from the ' of the Lebanese Forces by a "group
leaders Sunday attempted to defuse"; ~~ command." But he said that details
their dispute with President Amin . ,,north-south coastal highway, aze still being worked out.
Gemayel. 4 It appeared that if-Syria attack- Meanwhile, in West Beirut, an
Karim Pakradouni, one of the ~ ''~' the ~~~ ~~ would rely anonymous caller to news agencies
~ on,.guerrilla assaults as a response, claimi tore resent the shado
leaders of the militia revolt,, said ,~~~ng to Lebanese.Forces offi- ~ P w3'
that his contacts with the Syrians ~. ,~ial$ "We don't think the Syrians ~'?~ known as Islamic Jihad, or
showed that recent troop buildups 'want to get into a Christian Viet- .Islamic Holy Vilaz, took responsi-
wouldnot lead to a Syrian invasion '^ ~~ bility Sunday for the abduction of
~ ~nann. one official said. three forei ers in recent da s
of the Christian heartland innorth- r a has been warning the ~ ~ Y '
ern Lebanon. ;:. ; :. ~ : - `? $Yfl The Lhree are Terry A. Ander-
" '~hristians that it would not tolerate son, 37, an .American who is the
He told a news conference that r~any ~ retback to the negotiating chief Middle East correspondent of.
he e:pecta to have more contact ;,process they helped initiate be- the Associated Press. and two Brit-
~ with the Syrians in the Hatt ?a! ~ween Gemayel and Muslim lead-. .
~. ons, Brian Levick, 59. an oil comps-
! hours. altho ?he would not Blab= ? ~m,~, : ,- -. - ,-
~ ny executive, and Gaof?ey Nash,
orate. ? Lebanese newspapers had :~ "" Tiie warnings and the movement 60, a metallurgist for the ;r..ebanese
suggested earlier that Pakradouni'a ~ :of i~~ps appeared to have the government. ?. "-"~
~; efforts to negotiate with the Syri- ? : ~ ,.desired effect,.. with both Pakra- The caller said .that the abduc-
~ ~ ans had met with failure. - -~touni and Abu Nader taking a tion of the three men came within
"'~'" Pakradouni is a member of ttie: ~ 3ccpnCiliatory line toward Damascus ..
the framework of our operations .
"emergency committee.'.' estab-= ~ ^a~d Gemayel'during separate press
rr against America and its agents."
.lisped by, rebel leaders of ? the ~ ? ~cbnferences Sunday. - The caller said that Islamic Jihad
~
Lebanese Forces, the Chriatiatrr ~~ man said that the Christian _
k
h
'
'
w
o
s militia group,
coaununity
announced that they had. aeizec~,
control of Christian areas east of
! ~ Beirut on Tuesday. The revolt wa8
', headed by Samir Geagea, head bf "
the militia in the north. ' ?;. s -. ? ~ creation of a Christian Council to
The rebels complained that Ge-; s 'regi~esent the various Christian
i mayel, a Maronite Catholic, had '~, communities in Lebanon. Although
usurped the Christian politicaly ~, ;they deny aRl- ulterior motives in
voice and made too many conces-: ~ ~,he demand for such a council, the
aions to Syria in talks with Leba-' ~ : ..concept is clearly. designed as a
non's Muslim leaders. " ??' ' ~'relilacement for the Falangist Paz-
M Lhi Saturday, Syria moved aboii~= ? .ty; which has for decades been the
~ tafiks and two dozen armored'- ~ Christian political arm in Lebanon.
p~so>anel carriers to the area of the. _~ ~ ~ ~A9 president. Gemayel has been
,~ Madfoun River, t~lridBe. 29 miles' .slowly negotiating political reforms
` "'north of Beirut; as Part 'of a cleaz with,Muslim ministers in a govern-
' -.-effort to pressure the rebellious.. 1 meet of national unity formed last
'militia leaders into backing down:{;' M "APB The Chnshan rebel leaders
' ' Fuad abu Nader, the commander. ; Main. that Gemayel cannot fair-
".of the Lebanese Forces who also l }Y ~'e as president of all Leba=
,joined the emergency committee, ~` ~ . Hess and negotiate on behalf of the
..said ~ that Syria has moved up five Christians at the same time.
brigades of troops-about 2.000 ' = Pakradouni and Abu Nader also
-.men-including one armored bri- ~ steadfastly maintained .that their
;;gads; one artillery brigade, two revolt has nothing to do with Israel,
.brigades of special forces, and an as Syria has publicly chazged.
~. :~nflantry brigade. ... . - .. ..
:-revolt was not aimed at Syria or ~r^-a reference to the Western
`unseating Gemayel but that it had s,,,,t~r of the city-"of anv subver_
,the goal of broadening Christian .save element of the Mos~+d- CIA or
-representation inthegovernment allied intptti?ence services-" The
The rebels are demanding the Mossad is Israel's intelligence arai
The statement said that assum-
ing the post of "a journalist, indus-
trialist, scientist or religious man
will from now on be of no avail" to
spies staying in West Beirut.. - .
(The Associated Press reported
Sunday that police sources in 73ei-
rut, confirmed that a Libyan diplo-,
mat was abducted from his car in
West Beirut on Saturday. They
identified him as Abdel-Basset
TrabuLsi, a member of the Libyan
People's Bureau, the equivalent of
an embassy. There was no indica-
tion of who may have abducted the
Libyan official.)
Islamic Jihad- has claimed re-
i:QRCl11iiP.d
STAT
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/14 :CIA-RDP90-009658000707090002-0
 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/14 :CIA-RDP90-009658000707090002-0
be part of a concerted effort to
drive foreigners from West Beirut.
In southern Lebanon, meantime,
two Israeli soldiers were killed and
five were injured Sunday morning
in an ambush near the town of
Nabatiyeh, the Israeli military.
command reported in Tel Aviv.
There was no immediate indication
of who carried out the attack.
sponsibility for the kidnaping of
four other Americans who are still
believed to be in captivity. .
They are William Buckley, 56, a
U.S. Embassy political officer; the
Rev. Benjamin Weir, 60, a Presby-
terian minister; Father Lawrence
Jenco, a Roman Catholic priest, and
Peter Kilburn, 60, a librarian at the
American University of Beirut. .
In two new incidents, arocket-
propelled grenade was fired Sun-.
day at the Chinese Embassy, and a
driver for the Italian Embassy
driver was abducted.
All of these incidents appear to
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/12/14 :CIA-RDP90-009658000707090002-0