US embassy cable - 85KUWAIT6483

S E C R E T KUWAIT 06483 
 
TERREP EXCLUSIVE 
 
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR 
TAGS: PTER, KU 
SUBJECT: ABU NIDAL AND THE BITAR ASSASSINATION 
 
REF: A) STATE 371962; B) STATE 371963 
 
1.  SECRET ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
2.  DURING A CALL AT THE MFA ON 8 DECEMBER I PRESENTED 
REFTEL B ANALYSIS AND ANNEX OF THE ABU NIDAL TER- 
RORIST ORGANIZATION TO UNDERSECRETARY SULAIMAN MAJID 
AL-SHAHEEN.  POINTING OUT THE VICIOUS ATTACKS PER- 
PETRATED BY ABU NIDAL'S GROUP OVER THE PAST YEARS I 
STRESSED THE GRAVE THREAT THAT THE ORGANIZATION CON- 
STITUTES FOR ALL OF US, PARTICULARLY MODERATE ARAB 
STATES SUCH AS KUWAIT.  I EMPHASIZED TO AL-SHAHEEN 
THAT THE USG WOULD DO ALL IT COULD TO INTERDICT 
TERRORIST ACTS AND URGED THE GOK TO COOPERATE WITH 
US TO THIS END.  I ASKED THE  GOK TO USE ITS INFLUENCE 
WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST TO DENY A 
SAFE HAVEN AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT FOR SUSPECTED 
MEMBERS OF ABU NIDAL'S ORGANIZATION. 
 
3.  ABU NIDAL WAS OBVIOUSLY A TOPIC OF INTEREST TO 
AL-SHAHEEN.  TURNING TO THE MOST RECENT ACT BY ABU 
NIDAL'S GROUP, THE ASSASSINATION OF AL-BITAR IN AMMAN 
ON 14 NOVEMBER, AL-SHAHEEN INFORMED ME THAT THE PAL- 
ESTINIAN ASSASSINS WERE FROM KUWAIT, HAD ATTENDED 
BISHAR ROOMI SCHOOL, FAILED IN THEIR STUDIES, AND 
THEN HAD BEEN RECRUITED BY THE GROUP, PRESUMABLY OUT- 
SIDE OF KUWAIT.  MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE NOTED THAT THE 
GOVERNMENT OF JORDAN HAD APPROACHED THE GOK ON 7 
DECEMBER WITH INFORMATION THAT DURING THE INTERROGATION 
OF THE TWO PALESTINIANS THEY PROVIDED INFORMATION 
ABOUT THE 1985 CAFE' BOMBINGS IN KUWAIT.  AL-SHAHEEN 
STATED THE GOK HAD DISPATCHED SOMEONE TO JORDAN 
IMMEDIATELY TO FOLLOW UP THE INVESTIGATION OF A 
CONNECTION BETWEEN  ABU NIDAL AND THE BOMBINGS. 
 
4.  THE GOK REALIZES ALL TOO WELL THE THREAT THAT THE 
ABU NIDAL GROUP POSES, NOW MORE THAN EVER.  SHOULD 
SUSPECTED TERRORISTS COME TO THEIR ATTENTION THEY 
MAY BE WILLING TO SHARE THEIR INFORMATION WITH US. 
 
 
QUAINTON