US embassy cable - 90ADDISABABA5620

C O N F I D E N T I A L ADDIS ABABA 05620 
 
 
FOR S/CT BREELAND 
 
E.0.12356: DECL:OADR 
TAGS: PTER 
SUBJ: ETHIOPIA: 1990 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT 
 
REF: STATE 355397 
 
1.  C-ENTIRE TEXT. 
 
2.  THE FOLLOWING IS A RESPONSE TO PARA 5 OF REFTEL: 
 
A)  POST HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION REGARDING 
GOVERNMENT PROSECUTIONS OF TERRORISTS.  IN MARCH, 
1990, A BOMB BLAST AT THE HILTON HOTEL RESULTED IN 
THE EXPULSION OF TWO LIBYAN DIPLOMATS.  THE 
EXPULSION OCCURRED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THE BLAST, AND 
THE MISSION HAS NO INFORMATION REGARDING THE 
INVESTIGATION LEADING TO THE GPDRE ACTION. 
 
B)  POST HAS NO RECORD OF THE GPDRE REQUESTING 
EXTRADITION FOR SUSPECTED TERRORISTS. 
 
C)  IN TERMS OF PROSECUTION, POST CANNOT IMAGINE THE 
GPDRE EXPERIENCING ANY IMPEDIMENTS;  IT WOULD LIKELY 
BE SWIFT AND BRUTAL.  IN TERMS OF EXTRADITION, IT 
WOULD LIKELY BE DEPENDENT UPON WHETHER THE GPDRE HAS 
AN EXTRADITION TREATY WITH THE REQUESTING COUNTRY. 
THERE IS CURRENTLY NO EXTRADITION TREATY WITH THE 
U.S. 
 
D)  THE GPDRE HAS PROFESSED A DESIRE TO ASSIST IN 
OTHER INTERNATIONAL MATTERS-I.E., NARCOTICS 
TRAFFICKING - BUT HAS PROVIDED NO SPECIFICS ON 
TERRORIST MATTERS.  THIS MAY BE A DELICATE SUBJECT 
FOR THEM, AS THE PLO IS RECOGNIZED AND REPRESENTED 
IN THIS COUNTRY. 
 
E)  POST IS NOT AWARE OF ANY MAJOR COUNTERTERRORIST 
EFFORTS UNDERTAKEN BY THE GPDRE.  THEY HAVE MADE A 
MAJOR EFFORT TO COUNTERACT EPLF AND TPLF ACTIVITY IN 
ADDIS (AND THAT COUNTRYSIDE STILL UNDER GOVERNMENT 
CONTROL), WHOM THEY REGARD AS TERRORISTS.  THE EPLF 
AND TPLF ARE FAR TOO LARGE, STRONG, AND OCCUPY TOO 
MUCH ETHIOPIAN TERRITORY TO BE CONSIDERED TERRORISTS. 
 
F)  POST HAS NOT DISCOVERED ANY ETHIOPIAN SUPPORT 
FOR TERRORIST GROUPS OR INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM, 
ASIDE FROM ETHIOPIAN RECOGNITION OF THE PLO.  THE 
CURRENT GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTS AT RAPPROCHEMENT WITH 
THE WEST HAS MEANT INCREASED SECURITY SURVEILLANCE 
OF THE PLO, LIBYANS, AND IRAQIS. 
 
G)  POST HAS HEARD NOTHING FROM THE GPDRE THAT COULD 
BE CONSIDERED AS SUPPORTING TERRORISM, OF AN ACTION 
FROM THE "TERRORISM LIST" OF COUNTRIES.  IN FACT, 
ETHIOPIA HAS COME OUT STRONGLY IN SUPPORT OF THE 
U.N. POSITION CONDEMNING IRAQ FOR ITS INVASION OF 
KUWAIT. 
 
H)  THE GPDRE HAS GIVEN THE APPEARANCE OF BEING 
SUPPORTIVE OF COUNTERTERRORISM EFFORTS, THOUGH 
EMBASSY EFFORTS TO SECURE A TERRORISM LIAISON FOR 
THE RSO HAVE NOT YET BEEN FRUITFUL (THEY HAVE BEEN 
ONGOING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS).  THIS INCREASED 
COOPERATIVE SPIRIT IS A TREND SEEN OVER THE LAST 18 
MONTHS, AS THE GPDRE TURNS AWAY FROM COMMUNISM AND 
BEGINS A TURN TOWARDS THE WEST. 
 
2.  IF S/CT REQUIRES ANY MORE DETAILED INFORMATION, 
PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO ASK.  REGARDS. 
 
HOUDEK