THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 28 FEBRUARY 1975

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006014733
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: February 28, 1975

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The President's Daily Brief
February 28, 1975
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Exempt from general
declassification uhedule of E.O. 11652
exemption category 5%1),(2),(3/
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
February 28, 1975
Table of Contents
USSR-Middle East: Moscow has probably concluded
that it cannot block Egyptian-Israeli dis-
engagement negotiations. (Page 1)
OPEC: OPEC is faced with potentially divisive
problems, but all can be resolved without
severely testing the cartel's cohesiveness
(Page 2)
Cambodia: Prince Sihanouk claims that North Viet-
nam has stepped up arms deliveries to Cam-
bodia in response to the US airlift. (Page 3)
Syria-Israel:
(Page 5)
Note: Syria (Page 6)
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USSR - MIDDLE EAST
Moscow has probably concluded that
it cannot block Egyptian-Israeli disen-
gagement negotiations and is now trying
to convey the impression that it is work-
ing to facilitate an agreement.
shortly after Foreign Min-
ister Gromyko's meeting with Secretary Kissinger,
the Soviets weighed in with Egypt and Syria, express-
ing general backing for the current disengagement
talks. The Soviets reportedly said that although
they still want the Geneva conference to resume and
prefer simultaneous movement on the Egyptian, Syr-
ian, and Palestinian fronts, they will not stand in
the way of Secretary Kissinger's efforts.
Even allowing for some self-serving exaggera-
tion on the part of the Soviets, their statements
suggest they have become somewhat more reconciled
to a new Egyptian-Israeli disengagement agreement
since Secretary Kissinger's meeting with Gromyko
in Geneva. Soviet broadcasts have criticized nega-
tive Western accounts of the Geneva meeting and par-
ticularly stressed the significance of the discus-
sions on the Middle East. They have given special
prominence to Secretary Kissinger's comment that
final settlement in the Middle East will require
Soviet participation and cooperation.
This stance also indicates that, despite So-
viet resentment of the US-sponsored talks on
Egyptian-Israeli disengagement, there is little Mos-
cow can do at this stage to impede an accord. In
addition, the Soviets presumably think completion
of the bilateral negotiations is necessary before
talks can resume in Geneva, where they expect to
play a more prominent role.
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OPEC
While OPEC is currently faced with
some real and potentially divisive prob-
lems, all probably can be resolved with-
out severely testing the cartel's cohe-
siveness.
Yesterday in Vienna the OPEC oil ministers
concluded their meeting laying the groundwork for
an OPEC Summit Conference that opens in Algiers on
Tuesday. The oil ministers agreed to postpone un-
til April 1 consideration of ways to offset the
decline in the value of the US dollar.
In their final communique, the ministers also
reaffirmed their decision to freeze oil prices
through September. They decided to take no action
to coordinate oil production levels of member
states at this time and agreed to permit the United
Arab Emirates to lower its price differential.
The potentially most divisive issue OPEC faces
is that of production prorationing. So far, the
international oil companies have done remarkably
well in spreading the cuts among the producing
states in a manner acceptable to them. We believe
that OPEC will be extremely reluctant to undertake
a serious prorationing effort because it raises a
whole host of equity issues for the membership.
In the past, the organization has chosen to avoid
the issue and to leave the apportioning to the
companies, and they are likely to continue to do so.
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CAMBODIA
Prince Sihanouk claims that North
Vietnamese leaders have agreed to step
up deliveries of Chinese arms to the
insurgents in response to the US air-
lift to Phnom Penh. In the course of
a press interview in Peking yesterday,
Sihanouk said he had worked out the
agreement during his visit to Hanoi
during the Tet holidays. Meanwhile, a
gathering of Khmer communist officials
in Cambodia issued a broad policy state-
ment yesterday which suggests that the
communists are readying the party ap-
paratus for a national take-over.
Intercepts--which disclosed a significant flow
of supplies into northeastern Cambodia early this
year--have not reflected any arms deliveries in
over a month. There could be a lag of several weeks,
however, between the time a decision is made in
Hanoi to increase arms deliveries and their arrival
in northeastern Cambodia.
Sihanouk also said in the interview that total
US withdrawal from Cambodia is the only way to reach
a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The Prince
maintained that he would not stay on as head of
state after a Khmer communist victory, but would
be willing to accept a role as roving emissary.
A Khmer communist "national congress"--an as-
sembly that rubber stamps policy formulated by the
Khmer communist party central committee--issued a
communique yesterday that amounted to a broad policy
statement looking toward the end of the war. The
communique included:
--Notice that "ringleaders" such as Lon Nol,
Long Boret, Sosthene Fernandez, and Sink Matak,
"must be killed for their treason."
--Assurances that other "top- and middle-level"
civilian and military officials would be well
treated if they stop cooperating with the
"traitors."
(continued)
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--A call for all foreign embassies in Phnom
Penh to evacuate and a communist refusal to
bear responsibility for any "accidents."
--Promises of an "independent and nonaligned"
foreign policy allowing no "foreign" military
bases and accepting all unconditional aid.
The communique ?made no mention of negotiations
and did not include even the standard rejection.
The congress--the second such gathering since
the Cambodian conflict began--was chaired by "dep-
uty prime minister and defense minister" Khieu
Samphan. The communique maintained that the con-
gress was held under "extremely favorable circum-
stances" with the Lon Nol government "on the verge
of collapse militarily, economically, and polit-
ically."
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SYRIA? ISRAEL
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NOTE
A Syrian foreign ministry official yesterday
confirmed to Ambassador Murphy that the official
statement issued Wednesday claiming that President
Asad had been misquoted in the current issue of
Newsweek had been intended chiefly for domestic
consumption.
The official characterized the retraction as
a "tactical" move necessary to protect Asad's sup-
porters in the leadership of the Syrian Baath Party;
a series of party elections begins next week. The
official assured the ambassador that, as Asad had
indicated, Syria would be willing to sign a peace
treaty with Israel if the terms were right. He
said Asad would make this clear "at the proper
stage in negotiations."
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