Foreign Relations of the United States, 1981–1988, Volume X, Eastern Europe

242. Telegram From the Embassy in Yugoslavia to the Department of State¹

9759.

Belgrade, September 29, 1987, 1638Z

SUBJECT

• Yugoslav Response to U.S. Demarches on Terrorism.

REF

• (A) State 300602,²
• (B) Belgrade 9600.³

1. S—Entire text.

2. Morning of September 29 PolCouns passed information in Ref A to Rayko Vasiljevic, Department Chief in the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Vasiljevic was unavailable on September 28). Vasiljevic accepted the information and said that he hoped to have an answer later that day to the recent series of U.S. demarches. Late in afternoon of September 29 Vasiljevic called in PolCouns and gave him a paper whose text is transmitted in para six below.

3. Vasiljevic said that the information in the Yugoslav response had largely been obtained from checking records of entry into the country and hotel registration records. He again pointed out that Yugoslavia keeps no record of the departure of foreigners. Vasiljevic said that the Ministry of the Interior preferred to discuss this subject directly with U.S. representatives. But he added that the Interior Ministry would pass a copy of the Yugoslav response to the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry, which he assumed would make sure that Dizdarevic had the information before his October 1 meeting with Secretary Shultz.

4. PolCouns expressed appreciation for the response, but said he would want to translate it and study it carefully before responding. PolCouns asked Vasiljevic whether the last “tick” in the Yugoslav response meant that the Yugoslav authorities would deny entry to the people mentioned in the paper and Vasiljevic nodded affirmatively. He pointed out, however, that what this meant, in practice, was that anyone applying for entry under these names would be barred but that the Yugoslav authorities could not exclude that these individuals could get in to the country under different names. In this connection, he reiterated his request for as much specific information as possible about such people, including physical characteristics and information about aliases they may travel under.

5. Following up on Assistant Secretary Strbac’ s suggestion to the Ambassador (Ref B) PolCouns asked Vasiljevic whether he believed it would be useful to hold another round of talks between U.S. and Yugoslav experts on terrorism. Speaking personally, Vasiljevic said he thought this would be useful but said it was up to the U.S. to propose time, agenda and level. Since the last such talks had been in Belgrade, Vasiljevic said he thought the Yugoslavs would be willing to travel to Washington for them. He thought it would be useful for Yugoslav specialists to meet with American counterparts who dealt directly with terrorism.

6. Text of paper Vasiljevic gave PolCouns on September 29.

Begin text.

— Col. Hawari (Abdahhal Abd Al Hamad Labib, Rami Abdallah Al Sharifi). A detailed check did not establish that individuals under these names had stayed or are staying in Yugoslavia.

— About Hawari we know that on August or September 1986 under the orders of Abu Ijad and Arafat he organized the transfer of explosives through the airport of Rabat in Morocco. On this occasion a group of four Palestinians and two Tunisians were seized, on the basis of someone’s denunciation with the intention that the group, as an opponent of Abu Ijad would be liquidated.

— In connection with our further investigation into Col. Hawari we request as much concrete information as possible about him and his group.

— Baalbaki Qassem Mohamaed. As is already known, an individual under this name entered the SFR of Yugoslavia April 28, 1987, and on April 29, 1987, left Belgrade. We did not establish his further movements in Yugoslavia nor when he left the country.

— Muhamed Muhi Ad Din Abbas, about whom we received information from the American side on September 24, 1987, was in Belgrade July 22, August 6, and September 20/21. It has not been established where he went or when he left Yugoslavia.

— Feysal Farhat, about whom we received information on September 24, 1987, was in Yugoslavia August 6–10 and August 31 to September 2, 1987. It is not known when he left Yugoslavia or where he went.

— Aminah Binte, probably Horiani Binte Ismail, about whom we received information on September 24, 1987, was in Yugoslavia September 10 and 11, 1987. We do not have any information about when he left or where he went.

Not one of the persons under the names cited is known to the Yugoslav security service, and for those reasons no legal steps were undertaken regarding them during the time they were on the territory of the SFR of Yugoslavia.

Regarding all the persons under the names cited, including the persons under the names which the American side provided on September 29, steps will be taken in accordance with Yugoslav laws and the security interests of our country, and in accordance with good relations and cooperation with the authorized services of the USA and the known positions of the SFRY towards international terrorism in general.

End text.

Scanlan

1. Source: Reagan Library, Nelson Ledsky Files, Subject File, Yugoslavia—1987–1988 (2), Memos/Letters—Cables—Reports/Research. Secret; Immediate; Exdis,
2. Telegram 300602 to Belgrade, September 25, transmitted a non-paper for Yugoslavia regarding information on Hawari Group terrorists. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, D870794–0073)
3. In telegram 9600 from Belgrade, September 25, the Embassy reported that it had conveyed the non-paper to the Yugoslav Federal Secretariat for Internal Affairs via a newly established direct channel, noting that the information provided in the non-paper was not previously known by the local police. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, D870792–0672)