KIDNAPPING TURNS TABLES ON MOSCOW

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000403590004-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 12, 2012
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: October 2, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/12 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000403590004-0
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ON PAGE
WASHINGTON TIMES
2 October 1985
Kidnapping turns
tables on. Moscow
By Bill Khtzberg
THE NMSHINGTON TIMES
The kidnapping of four Soviets in
Lebanon Monday has dramatically
altered perceptions of the terror net-
work in the Middle East and could
signal new approaches to the war
against terrorism.
"We are now in the same boat as
the Americans and other Western-
ers in Lebanon;' said a Soviet jour-
nalist yesterday in Lebanon. And, in
fact, the kidnappings may have an
impact on the Geneva summit. Pres-
ident Reagan is thought to be certain
to bring up the topic of state-
sponsored terrorism, and the kid-
nappings will enable Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev to plead the
innocence of a wounded man.
For the first time in the Middle
East, Soviet diplomats have fallen
victims to terrorism. For the first
time, Syria, which exercises a mea-
sure of the control over terrorists,
has become the target of terrorist
demands.
This, in turn, has raised questions
over how much control Syria really
exercises.
The Islamic Jihad terrorist
group's kidnapping of three Soviet
diplomats and a Soviet doctor could
have far-ranging implications for
Soviet interests in the Middle East
and the politics of that region in gen-
eral. Islamic Jihad in the past has
worked with the support, or at least
the acquiescence, of Syria, the
Soviet Union's closest Middle East
ally.
The kidnapping highlights the
overlapping and sometimes con-
flicting influence of Syria and the
Soviet Union in Lebanon.
Except for the Christian Lebanese
Forces, most of the factions vying
for influence and power in Lebanon
support and receive various forms
of assistance from Syria.
Islamic Jihad has been carrying
out attacks against American,
Israeli and Western European influ-
ence in Lebanon. It operates from
the Bekaa Valley, which is under Syr-
ian control, and is considered to be
under the strong influence of Iran.
American sources believe that
Islamic Jihad was responsible for
the bombing of the American
Marine barracks resulting in the
deaths of 273 Marines. The terror-
ists reportedly received assistance
from Syria.
Israeli and American intellli enc
sources be ieve that until tesplit
Uetween Syria an e PLO, most i
emanating from bebanon receive
support from y-n ane FEU.
But in the wake of the Israeli mva-
sion of Lebanon in 1982, terrorist
groups proliferated and the PLO and
Syria began a vicious struggle for
power in Lebanon.
In Tripoli, Islamic forces backed
by the PLO are waging a struggle for
power with Syrian and leftist forces.
Shi'ite forces recently joined that
struggle and threaten to split the
Iranian-Syrian front.
Thus the ironic situation that has
developed in recent days, resulting
in Soviet diplomats being abducted
by a group that operates in one part
of Lebanon under Syrian control and
is now allied with Syria's PLO oppo-
nents.
"I think it's the case of the sorcer-
er's apprentice;" said Ray Cline, an
expert on terrorism at Georgetown
University's Center for Strategic and
International Studies. "The Rus-
sians let loose enough of these ter-
rorists and now they've become the
victims themselves"
The prospect of the Soviets
becoming victims of terrorism has
titillated experts who accuse the
Soviets of direct and indirect sup-
port of terrorism.
"The Russians aren't any better
off than we are;" Mr. Cline said. But
"they will be much more ruthless"
than the Americans, he added.
The Soviets will no doubt exert
tremendous pressure on the Syrians
to crack down on Islamic Jihad.
The Syrians may not be able to
control Islamic Jihad, according to
Judith Kipper of the American
Enterprise Institute. Miss Kipper
said that the kidnapping of the
Soviet diplomats in Beirut marks an
"escalation" of terrorism in Leba-
non.
"The Syrians won't be able to help
them any more than they help us:'
she said. "It is clear that there is a
mutuality of interests between the
U.S. and the Soviet Union. I would
hope that there would be a decision
between the two superpowers to do
everything to avoid a confrontation:'i
The battle for Tripoli has been
brewing for two years with Syria
hoping to end any remaining influ-
ence on the part of PLO Chairman
Yasser Arafat.
The split between Mr. Arafat and
Syrian President Hafez Assad has
strained relations between Syria and
the Soviet Union, a staunch sup-
porter of Mr. Arafat. Relations
between Syria and the Soviets may
be strained further by the latest
series of events.
On the other hand, the kidnapping
of the Soviets will provide another
opportunity for Mr. Assad to assert
his independence of the Soviets. The
Syrians exploited the June hijacking
of TWA Flight 847 to the same end.
The Soviets are not likely to have
much patience with Syrian muscle-
flexing. Yesterday, they branded the
kidnappings "acts of ultra-rightist
bandits"
Soviet leverage over the Syrians is
limited, however. They cannot afford
an open split with their main proxy
in the Middle East. "The main Soviet
interest is not to lose Syria because
then they're out of the Middle East;'
Miss Kipper said.
The current situation is filled
with ironies. "It will be very interest-
ing to see this gang of mafiosi work-
ing on each other instead of on us:'
Mr. Cline said.
Mr. Cline doubts that the Soviets
would be willing to work with the
United States against terrorism
after the latest kidnappings. "The
Russians will try to handle this on
their own;' he concluded.
Many terrorism experts believe
the Soviets will be constrained from
using force for the same reason the
United States has been unable to
retaliate in the past. "The trouble is
that you don't know who's on the end I
of the telephone" in kidnapping
cases, a State Department official
said.
The Soviets now are experiencing
the same frustration Americans
have felt so many times before. Like
the Americans, they will find it dif
ficult to act on their own, and their
proxies may not find it in their best
interests to help.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/12 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000403590004-0