THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 16 JULY 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006015165
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: July 16, 1976

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The President's Daily Brief
July 16, 1976
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/19 : CIA-RDP79T00936A013500010025-0
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category, 5 B( I )(2)(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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July 16, 1976
Table of Contents
Lebanon: PLO chief Yasir Arafat apparently has made his visit to
Damascus conditional on Syrian withdrawal from both Sidon
and Sawfar. (Page 1)
UK-Kenya: The UK will airlift considerable ammunition to Kenya
this week according to the US embassy in London. (Page 3)
Egyp,,t_;_j
Vietnam - Southeast Asia: Hanoi is taking a more flexible and
conciliatory line in dealing with its Southeast Asian neigh-
bors now that formal reunification of Vietnam is complete.
(Page 4)
Notes: South Africa - Rhodesia; USSR (Page 6)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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Lebanon
A Palestinian Refugee Camp
Syrian Blockade
-- Syrian Line of Advance
o Christian Town
MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
BEIRUT
&-r
Mar EIias
Sabra ShatilaA
Arab League!.
Security Force
Sidor.
ct1
Mia Mia
Nahr al-Barkk%
Badda
c--
Tripoli*
Sy ian Controlled
CONTESTED
17,A
Zagharta
(
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(i.
Controlled
V
Predominantly
Muslim
Pop lated
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o
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CON TEST..
Sawfar
Predothinantly
u li;en
Populated
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Controlled
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DAMASCUS
IA
0 KILOMETERS 20
20
620069 7.76
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LEBANON: Palestine
Liberation Organiza-
tion chief Yasir Arafat
apparently has made his
visit to Damascus for
talks conditional on
Syrian withdrawal from
both Sidon and Sawfar.
The full extent of the
Syrian pullback is not
clear. Damascus will
almost certainly remain
in position for a hasty
return should negotia-
tions fall through.
Syrian proposals to Arafat and the
Palestinian leadership reportedly
were brought from Damascus yester-
day by Libyan Prime Minister Jal-
lud. Damascus stipulated that
only after relations between Syria
and the Palestinians had returned
to what they were in the past--
presumably .a reference to previous
restrictions on Palestinian activ-
ity--would Syrian forces "concen-
trate in specific areas."
According to the reported propos-
als, Syria would not withdraw com-
pletely from Lebanese territory
until Lebanese factions had been
reconciled and the country's in-
stitutions were once again func-
tioning. The Syrians nevertheless
were willing to begin by withdraw-
ing from Sidon and Sawfar. After
this pullback, talks could take
place between the Syrian govern-
ment and Palestinian leaders.
The Syrian withdrawal from Sidon
began Wednesday. Sudanese and Lib-
yan contingents apparently are su-
pervising operation of the port.
Palestinian sources stated yester-
day afternoon that the Syrians had
also begun to pull back from Saw-
far.
These gestures by Syria may be suf-
ficient to persuade Arafat that a
trip to Damascus can be undertaken
without loss of face.
Syria probably feels it can lose
nothing by making an effort to
probe Arafat's willingness to reach
an accommodation.
Whether Arafat can bring the rest
\of the Palestinians, let alone the
1
--_continued
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A leftist Beirut news-
paper reports the USSR
has suspended shipments
of arms, ammunition,
and spare parts to Syria
until the Syrians with-
draw their troops from
Lebanon.
leftist Lebanese leadership, along
with him should he reach an under-
standing with the Syrians remains
to be seen.
Syria meanwhile shows no disposi-
tion to relax its pressure on left-
ist and Palestinian forces in the
Tri Doli area.
Syrian forces are tightening
the ring around Nahr al-Barid ref-
ugee camp north of Tripoli, possi-
bly in preparation for an assault.
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We have no confirmation of this re-
port, and we view it with skepti-
cism. The Soviets have refused to
provide Damascus with emergency fi-
nancial assistance to support the
intervention. We doubt they would
go so far as to cut off all arms
shipments, although they might de-
lay some shipments to indicate their
displeasure.
Moscow recently approached Damascus
for expanded naval and air facili-
ties in Syria. Cutting off arms
supplies would leave the Soviet
2
--continued
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UK-KENYA: The UK will
airlift considerable
ammunition to Kenya
this week, according to
the US embassy in London.
EGYPT:
Union little chance of obtaining
these facilities and might jeopard-
ize those now available to Moscow.
The shipments--to include 50,000
anti-aircraft rounds, 3,000 mortar
rounds, and 30,000 cannon rounds
for Nairobi's Hawker Hunter fight-
ers--will bolster Kenya's air de-
fense and anti-armor capability
against Uganda's larger, more heav-
ily equipped forces.
The UK reportedly delivered more
than 100 howitzers to Kenya earlier
this month. These may be part of
the $46 million military assistance
package that has been under nego-
tiation for several months.
London wants to restrict news of
the airlift so as not to jeopard-
ize the safety of some 500 British
nationals resident in Uganda. Some
British citizens are reportedly
leaving, but there is no indication
that all are trying to do so. The
Callaghan government would be likely
to take a stronger stand toward
Uganda if the British community
could get out on its own.
Apparently as a means of keeping
the military completely divorced
3
--continued
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VIETNAM - SOUTHEAST
ASIA: Hanoi is taking
a decidedly more flexi-
ble and conciliatory
Zine in dealing with
its Southeast Asian
neighbors now that for-
mal reunification of
Vietnam is complete.
from politics, the People's Assem-
bly this week passed a government-
sponsored bill that disenfranchises
the military and the police. Pres-
idential and parliamentary elec-
tions are scheduled for October.
With members of the military now
deprived of the vote as a means of
communicating their grievances,
some of them could be tempted to
use extra-legal means.
Remarks by Vietnamese officials
suggest that Hanoi may even be
softening its rhetorical support
for insurgencies in neighboring
countries.
Vietnam's new "moderation" already
has produced some limited commit-
ments of economic assistance from
its neighbors. The Vietnamese
would like to reduce their reli-
ance on the USSR and China and
probably calculate that a more
pragmatic approach might even pave
the way for eventual assistance
from the US.
The joint Vietnamese-Philippine
communique issued in Manila Monday
indicates that Hanoi has tempered
4
--continued
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and in some cases eliminated de-
mands that had frustrated past ne-
gotiations. Hanoi has, for exam-
ple, dropped its demand for the
return of war materiel brought
into the Philippines shortly after
the fall of Saigon.
The Manila communique also promises
that neither party will permit its
territory to be used for "aggres-
sion" against the other. Manila
may think this provision strength-
ens its argument in the current re-
negotiation of the US bases agree-
ment that Filipinos should be given
veto power over US military activi-
ties staged from the bases.
--continued
5
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Soviet naval strength
in the Mediterranean,
which had risen to over
70 units last month,
has returned to a nor-
mal level.
NoTr-
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There are now about 50 ships and
submarines in the Mediterranean,
somewhat below the usual level.
The high number of Soviet naval
units in the Mediterranean last
month was attributable to a series
of exercises held in the area, ex-
tensive turnover operations as new
units arrived to replace others
due to return to the USSR, and So-
viet surveillance of US naval ac-
tivity in the eastern Mediterra-
nean during the evacuation of US
civilians from Lebanon.
6
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r
Top Secret
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