THE PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF 28 AUGUST 1976

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: President's Daily Brief 1969-1977
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0006466838
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: August 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2016
• Publication Date: August 28, 1976

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2016/07/14 : CIA-RDP79T00024A000200040004-1
The President's Daily Brief
August 28, 1976
2
Tob i.ecr5x1
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Exempt from general
declassification schedule of E 0 I 1652
exemption category 5B(I),(2).(3)
declassified only on approval of
the Director of Central Intelligence
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
August 28, 1976
Table of Contents
Egypt-Libya: Cairo is continuing its military build-up on the
Libyan border. The press in Tripoli is warning of the pos-
sibility of an Egyptian attack. (Page 1)
Lebanon:
France: The new cabinet appointed yesterday is unlikely to make
any major policy changes. (Page 5)
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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TRIPOLI
NIGER
?
I-) TURKEY
GREECE;
\kfclq
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
/11enghaii
LIBYA
CHAD
CYPRUS,
11)
f
\ SYRIA
LEBANON
I
7
ISRAEL ,....?........./
1 r?i
Tobruk - i ;JORDAN
? ' ..., ,
'..._ ,
- ?Alexandria., -' 's 7
.- ? \ /
Suez Canal \ f
Sinai .\ I
it ,(isaneti-
CAIRO occup,ED) \LL.....7
EGYPT
SAUDI
ARABIA
SUDAN
0 900 Miles
0 200 Kilometers
e20222
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
EGYPT-LIBYA: Egypt is
continuing its military
preparations on the Lib-
yan border.
Libya continues to take
military precautions in
light of the deterio-
rating situation with
Egypt.
We have further evidence that the
Egyptians have begun to move main
ground force units to the Libyan
border. On Thursday, the US ambas-
sador saw 10 Egyptian tanks on
rail cars headed west from Alexan-
dria. We do not yet know to which
unit the equipment belongs. It
could be a part of the force that
was scheduled to begin moving from
the Suez Canal area on Thursday.
Cairo is also continuing its ef-
forts to intimidate President Qa25X1
dhafi. Foreign Minister Fahmi
said in an interview yesterday
q5X1
that he considers that "Qadhafi
presence on the Arab map is unde-
sirable."
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Libyan fighter aircraft at Benghazi
were ordered on Thursday to fly
reconnaissance missions along the
northeastern Libyan coast. The
missions were to be flown twice
daily until further notice.
--continued
1
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Recent Tripoli news-
paper editorials have
emphasized that war
with Egypt may be immi-
nent.
Flights on Libyan C-130 transports
to Tobruk, near the Egyptian bor-
der, also have continued. We do
not know the purpose of the flights,
but the Libyans could be stockpil-
ing ammunition and supplies in the
border area.
Editorialists cite as their evi-
dence the Egyptian buildup on the
border, President Sadat's rejec-
tion of all mediation attempts
during the nonaligned summit, and
the alleged upsurge in Egyptian
subversion attempts in Libya.
One editorial has suggested that
all of the approximately 250,000
Egyptians working in Libya will be
expelled in the event of an Egyp-
tian attack, and a US embassy
source in Tripoli reports that Qa-
dhafi recently asked ministry
heads to study the probable impact
on their departments if Egyptian
functionaries are removed.
It is unlikely that all Egyptian
workers would be sent home, but
the Libyans might be considering
the expulsion of a symbolic number
to serve as a warnina to Eavpt.
25
--continued
2
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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MEDITERRANEAN
SEA
Tripoli
BEIRUT
f
Ayn Rummana
Sidon
Tyre
ISRAEL
DAMASCUS
YRIA
MILES 20
00 KILOMETERS 20
"'""
620358 8-76
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
LEBANON:
Arab League me-
diators in Beirut are
continuing to meet with
leaders of both sides
in order to advance
their own peace plan.
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According to one account, the plan
includes a requirement that Syria
will pull its troops back from
Sawfar and Jazzin, with Arab League
forces taking their places. This
provision may have already dis-
rupted the negotiations. A meet-
ing between the League mediators
--continued
3
FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
There were exchanges of
fire along Beirut's con-
frontation lines yes-
terday.
The unofficial Soviet
Afro-Asian People's Sol-
idarity Committee on Au-
gust 26 called for the
withdrawal of Syrian
troops from Lebanon. A
Moscow radiobroadcast
yesterday said that a
Syrian withdrawal would
be "important for nor-
malizing the situation."
and Christian leaders yesterday
was described by the leftist radio
as "not positive."
Meanwhile, as of Thursday, 10 of
the required 11 Arab countries had
officially notified the Arab League
of their willingness to attend a
summit meeting. Several countries,
including Saudi Arabia and Egypt,
who have publicly endorsed the
summit, have delayed formal re-
sponses. There has been no deci-
sion about a time or place for
holding a summit.
Most of the action was centered in
Ayn Rummanah and the southern sub-
urbs near the airport. Activity
in the mountains east of Beirut
continued to be limited to arti125x1
lery fire.
The leftist press has reported
that units of President Franjiyah's
militia attacked several villages
on the outskirts of Tripoli but
were repulsed.
This is the first time that Moscow
has floated such explicit state-
ments, which presumably reflect
the Soviets' increasing concern
over the Palestinians' declining
fortunes. These pronouncements
may be a step toward official gov-
ernment advocacy of Syrian with-
drawal, which would be a signifi-
cant change in Soviet policy. The
--continued
4
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
FRANCE: The new cabinet
named yesterday gener-
ally maintains the po-
litical balance of its
slightly larger prede-
cessor, although the
Gaullists and Centrists
did lose some ground.
Many officials hold the
same or similar posts,
and major policy changes
are unlikely.
Soviets do not want to antagonize
the Syrians more than necessary,
however, and may have chosen unof-
ficial means to register support
for the Palestinians.
The Committee's statement also
stressed that it is the "Soviet
people" calling for the Syrian
withdrawal; this avoids for now
any reference to the Soviet govern-
ment.
* * *
The appointment of Prime Minister
Raymond Barre, a technocrat and the
first non-Gaullist to hold the post
under the Fifth Republic, tends to
move the government a step closer
to the center-left and to strengthen
President Giscard's personal con-
trol.
The Gaullists--who hold the larg-
est block of ,he governing coali-
tion's seats in the Assembly--were
mollified especially by the ap-
pointment of Olivier Guichard as
justice minister, generally con-
sidered the government's number-
two post. Guichard is considered
a moderate and has good relations
with members of other parties.
His presence in the cabinet may
make it more difficult for former
prime minister Chirac to criticize
the government.
Giscard's Independent Republicans
continue to be represented at the
top by Interior Minister and Min-
ister of State Michel Poniatowski,
who is the President's close friend
and collaborator, and by Industry
Minister Michel d'Ornano.
--continued
5
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FOR THE PRESIDENT ONLY
Giscard's designation of career
diplomat Louis de Guiringaud as
foreign minister indicates that
the President intends to continue
to dominate foreign policy, but
wants a tough negotiator to carry
out his orders. De Guiringaud re-
portedly is an expert on third
world affairs, an area on which
the President is said to believe
France must concentrate.
6
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