MCFARLANE/FAIRBANKS MISSION: CONTACT WITH JUMBLATT IN DAMASCUS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85M00363R000300630013-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 1, 2010
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: September 2, 1983
• Content Type: CABLE

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Ift, 83 2057066 88Z PAGE 001 NC 20SW66
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4b ZZ RUEAIIB
ZNY SSSSS ZOC STATE ZZH
3TU3933
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DE RUEHAM #6898/01 2451808
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
Z 0218012 SEP 83 ZFF4
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SEC$TATE WASHDC FLASH 3647
RUEHBL/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT FLASH 0994
RUEHJI/AMEMBASSY JIDDA NIACT IMMEDIATE 6669
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN NIACT IMMEDIATE 0612
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV NIACT IMMEDIATE 8514
INFO RUEMEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 8707
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 5861
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S E C R E T DAMASCUS 06898
EXDIS
FOR MCFARLANE/FAIRBANKS
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PREL, MARR, MOPS, SY, LEA IS, US, XF
SUBJECT: MCFARLANE/FAIRBANKS MISSION: CONTACT WITH
- JUMBLATT IN DAMASCUS
w 1. SECRET - ENTIRE TEXT.
2. AT 1845 LOCAL ON SEPTEMBER 2, I MET WITH JUMBLATT
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w?? w w w? w w w w w~ w? w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w? w w w? w w w w w w w w w w w w w w .
w w w w w w w -------------
FOR
ONE HOUR AT THE RESIDENCE. MRS. JUMBLATT ACCOMPANIED
HIM. HE HAD JUST COME FROM MEETING WITH PRINCE BANDAR
AND WAS ON HIS MAY TO BLOUDAN TO MEET WITH SYRIAN
FOREIGN MINISTER KHADDAM. JUMBLATT HAD SPENT MOST OF
DAY CONFERRING WITH KARAMI IN TRIPOLI AND FRANJIEM IN
EHDEN.
3. MEETING WITH GEMAYEL: JUMBLATT SAID THAT HE AND
KARAMI ARE WILLING TO MEET WITH GEMAYEL IF GEMAYEL
IS ALONE. FRANJIEH IS RELUCTANT TO JOIN THIS MEETING,
BUT JUMBLATT THINKS HE CAN BE BROUGHT ALONG. JUMBLATT
THINKS NABIH BERRI WILL ALSO JOIN MEETING. GEMAYEL
HAS PROPOSED BRINGING WITH HIM HIS FATHER SHAIKH PIERRE
GEMAYEL AND SAAB SALAM, JUMBLATT SAYS THAT HIS GROUP
IS PRESSING FOR MEETING WITH AMIN ALONE. ACCORDING
JUMBLATT, THIS PROPOSAL IS NOW BEING CONSIDERED BY
GEMAYEL. ON SYRIAN ATTITUDE TOWARD SUCH A MEETING,
JUMBLATT SAID HE JUST DIDN'T KNOW. (COMMENTS WE CAN
ASSUME THAT HE WILL BE TRYING THIS OUT ON KHADDAM AT
0 ABOUT THIS TIME. VENUE OF POSSIBLE MEETING NOT CLEAR.
END COMMENT.)
TAKEmOVER
01 4e BT
REPORTS ABOUT BEIRUT:
DEPLOYMENT SHOWED
BEIRUT RAD
LAF J IN ALL
OF BEIRUT, HE SAID HE WAS AWARE OF THESE REPORTS BUT
WOULD RESERVE HIS JUDGMENT UNTIL HE COULD ASCERTAIN
cl, WHETHER THIS WAS THE REAL THING. IT IT WERE, HE
ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IT WOULD BE A FAVORABLE DEVELOPMENT.
0 5. ROLE OF U.S. MARINES: I TOLD JUMBLATT I HAD SEEN
HIS PRESS CONFERENCE STATEMENTS ALLEGING U.S. MARINES
HAD PARTICIPATED IN LAF OPERATIONS IN WEST BEIRUT AND
WARNING AGAINST THEIR FURTHER INVOLVEMENT. I SAID
THESE REPORTS WERE TOTALLY FALSE. ONLY MARINE ACTION
HAD BEEN TO DEFEND THEMSELVES, AND THEY WOULD CONTINUE
TO DO 30, JUMBLATT ASKED WHETHER U.S. MILITARY ADVISERS
HAD BEEN WITH LAF, AND I SAID, "N0, NONE," JUMBLATT
ASKED ABOUT REPORTS THAT TWO THOUSAND MORE MARINFES WERE
N
BEI
G SENT TO BEIRUT. I SAID THAT THESE REPORTS WERE
TRUE, AND THIS FORCE WOULD PROVIDE OFFSHORE RESERVE
FOR MARINES ALREADY ONSHORE. JUMBLATT ASKED IF THESE
SECRET
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MARINES WOULD BE LANDED. I REPLIED THAT THEY WOULD BE
LANDED IF SITUATION AROSE THAT REQUIRED THEM TO PROTECT
MARINES ALREADY IN POSITION. JUMBLATT SAID THAT IF
FIGHTING STARTED BETWEEN LAF AND DRUZE IN KHALDE AREA,
IT COULD SPILL OVER ONTO MARINES WHO WERE VERY CLOSE
TO LAF POSITIONS THERE. I REITERATED THAT MARINES
WOULD RETURN FIRE IF FIRED UPON,
6, --MASSACRE OF CHRISTIANS IN METN AND REPORTED ATTACK
ON JUMBLATT HOUSE'IN BEIRUT: JUMBLATT CONFIRMED DRUZE
KILLINGS OF CHRISTIANS IN BMARYAM. HE EXPRESSED DEEP
REGRET AND EMPHASIZED THIS AS EXAMPLE OF EXTREME TENSION
BETWEEN DRUZE AND CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY
IN SMALL AND OUT-OF-THE-WAY VILLAGES. HE SAID HE HAD
JUST BEEN ON THE PHONE TO SYRIAN CHIEF OF STAFF SHIHABI
TO URGE SYRIANS IN THIS AREA TO CLAMP DOWN ON VILLAGERS
AND TO TRY TO ARREST PERPETRATORS OF THESE KILLINGS,
AND SHIHABI HAD AGREED TO ASSIST. I URGED JUMBLATT TO
INSTRUCT HIS FOLLOWERS TO REFRAIN FROM THESE VIOLENT
ACTS AND TO MAKE A PUBLIC STATEMENT CONDEMNING THIS
MASSACRE. JUMBLATT REPLIED THAT HE WAS NOT IN TOTAL
CONTROL, PARTICULARLY IN THESE SMALLER VILLAGES, BUT
HE WOULD DO WHAT HE COULD AND CONSIDER MAKING PUBLIC
DENUNCIATION. RE HIS HOUSE IN MUSAYTBAH, HE SAID
THAT TWO SHOTS HAD BEEN FIRED AND ONE PERSON HAD BEEN
ARRESTED BY LAF FORCES, BUT THAT THIS PERSON HAD BEEN
RELEASED AND LAF HAD APOLOGIZED FOR THIS INCIDENT.
JUMBLATT SAID THAT BMARYAM MASSACRE WAS PROBABLY RESULT
OF REPORTS OF ASSAULT ON MIS BEIRUT HOUSE
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7. BANDAR: BANDAR TOLD JUMBLATT THAT HE HAD MET WITH
ASSAD AND KHADDAM AND HAD FOUND ASSAD MUCH HARDER LINE
EXDIS
C FOR MCFARLANE/FAIRBANKS
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PREL, MARR, MOPS, SY, LE, IS, US, XF
SUBJECTS MCFARLANE/FAIRBANK3 MISSION: CONTACT WITH
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~wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwnwwwwwwwwwrwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww~?
ON THE AGREEMENT THAN KHADDAM. (COMMENT= THIS IS
INTERESTING, IF NOT ENCOURAGING. END COMMENT.) JUMBLATT
DIDN'T HAVE MUCH ELSE TO SAY ABOUT HIS CONVERSATION
WITH BANDAR, SAVE THAT THE SAUDIS WANTED TO PLAY A ROLE..
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8. GHANDOUR: JUMBLATT SAID THAT GHANDOUR WAS COMING
TO DAMASCUS TOMORROW, SEPTEMBER 3, TO SEE HIM.
9. a MOOD: JUMBLATT WAS, AS HE USUALLY HAS BEEN IN
HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH ME, MATTER-OF-FACT AND UNEXCITED.
HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT TIME WAS SHORT BEFORE ISRAELI
REDEPLOYMENT BEGINS, BUT GAVE APPEARANCE OF HAVING SOME
HOPE THAT THE MEETING WITH GEMAYEL COULD BE ARRANGED.
HE SHOWED A WILLINGNESS TO GO TO SUCH A MEETING TO
FIND OUT WHAT GEMAYEL HAD TO OFFER AND THIS IS A
CHANGE FROM HIS PREVIOUS POSITION. HE WAS UNSURE HOW
THE SYRIANS WOULD REACT TO ALL OF THIS, I OFFERED HIM
ANY AND ALL ASSISTANCE IN FURTHERING CAUSE OF LEBANESE
RECONCILIATION AND HE SAID HE WOULD STAY IN TOUCH.
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10. BEIRUT MINIMIZE CONSIDERED, PAGANELLI
END OF MESSAGE SECRET
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