AI en Translation, Pages 151-175
Page 151
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Revolutionary Command Council
General Intelligence Presidency
General Secret Service Directorate
Media / Section 3 / 12 / 12
Date 2 / 5 / 1981
199
5/21
⟦illegible⟧
Republic of Iraq
Secret
⟦line⟧
To / Directorate of Information and General Records ⟦line⟧
Attached is a copy of the Cairo Station letter 184 dated May 3, 81
along with a copy of an attached report on Egyptian-Palestinian relations.
Hoping for your benefit ⟦line⟧ with appreciation ⟦line⟧
on behalf of/ General Director of the Secret Service
Copy to:
⟦line⟧
Section 4 / ⟦illegible⟧ / Attached is a copy of the above letter with an attached copy
for your benefit ⟦line⟧ with appreciation ⟦line⟧
( 1 - 1 )
Secret
⟦line⟧
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5/80
Iraqi Interests Section in Cairo
Public Affairs
Number: 184
Date: 5 / 21 / 1981
To: Public Affairs Section
Subject: Egyptian-Palestinian Movements
Your letter 2881 on February 26, 1981
Attached herewith is the report prepared for us by the source Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Batrawi
regarding Egypt's relations with the Palestine Liberation Organization.
The attached report is consistent with reality and in a scientific manner, as the source
Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Batrawi is of Palestinian nationality and holds an Egyptian travel document,
and he is originally from Gaza and displaced to Cairo after 1948.
He is not far from the information and has kinship ties with many prominent
Palestinian figures in Egypt. In our opinion, his study is realistic and his information
is one hundred percent correct, as the source ⟦A. A.⟧ confirmed some of this
information to us, who is also of Palestinian origin, as he confirmed to us the
information contained in the attached report.
For your kind review -- with appreciation
Head of the Public Affairs Section
A copy to be placed in attachment 106
Page 153
p.
Egyptian-Palestinian Relations
⟦h⟧
The presence of Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation
Organization and Commander-in-Chief of the Palestinian Revolution Forces, in the Egyptian People's Assembly hall
during President Sadat's announcement of his readiness to visit Israel
if it would lead to achieving what he called peace, was not a surprise to
those who know the nature of the relations between <del>⟦illegible⟧</del> Arafat and Egypt.
He lived and was educated in Egypt, and his family is still present in Egypt, and his brother
Abu Raouf still plays a prominent role in maintaining the good relations
between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Egyptian regime.
Those close to the decision-makers in the PLO confirm that Arafat had
prior knowledge of what Sadat announced; they even confirm that Arafat applauded Sadat
after he finished his speech.
And despite what the announcement and Sadat's subsequent steps caused
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The Egyptian regime in general has had bad effects on the Arab reality in
general and the Palestinian one in particular, whose reactions within the
resistance movement ranged between threats and intimidation ⟦individual⟧ and silence and waiting. As for
the Arab level, it led to a complete Arab boycott of the Egyptian regime
and the transfer of the headquarters of the League of Arab States from Egypt and its expulsion from all organizations
and Arab bodies, and even the formation of a front against Sadat which issued its judgment
against him.
What interests us in this field is to search for the nature of the relations between the Palestine Liberation
Organization and the Egyptian regime after and during that period and until now.
All reports and sources confirm:
Freezing the relationship of the Liberation Organization with Egypt during the first period due to
the Arab position and the pressures to which the leadership of the organization was subjected, which
was practiced by several parties: Palestinian .. Arab .. international.
It was not based on a fixed strategy, but ⟦crept in⟧ then formed the system of those
pressures, namely:
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⟦Extend⟧
Regarding the Palestinian parties: All factions of the so-called Rejectionist Front exercised pressure
(The Popular Front, ⟦and the⟧ Democratic Front, and Al-Sa'iqa), General Command (Liberation Army)
⟦Jibril⟧
.. etc.
As for the Arab pressures, they were represented in the Arab position toward the Egyptian regime
A manifestation of the state of deterioration and collapse - after the Egyptian regime's rejection of the call
addressed by the Arab nation at the Baghdad Conference to Egypt, to the Egyptian leadership, to backtrack
from the leadership <del>(Egyptian)</del> from proceeding on the incorrect (treacherous) path.
The Soviet Union also exerted pressure on the Liberation Organization
to sever its relations with Egypt, given the Soviet view of any solutions to the Palestinian
issue and the issue of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
In light of all the above, the Liberation Organization severed its relations with the Egyptian regime
(formally) at that time, despite the expulsion of Jamal al-Sourani,
the representative of the Liberation Organization in Cairo, the organization kept Said
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p.
Kamal as a representative of the PLO is not accredited, but he was seen in the name of Mr.
Yasser Arafat, and it is known that Said Kamal had previous relations
with the Egyptian regime and its various apparatuses - for he belongs to the (Arab Nationalists) movement
whose Palestinian wing, led by George Habash, turned towards Marxist thought -
and Said Kamal remained an essential and important contact link between the Organization
and the Egyptian regime, and when some resistance factions split and became certain
of this matter definitively, they began to avoid him, and finally
the media apparatuses began to address him publicly, denouncing and threatening,
which made Arafat announce that Said Kamal is a special representative of his
and a political figure not subject to criticism - and Mr. Arafat had preceded him by
doing the same thing regarding Dr. Issam Sartawi, who meets
constantly in Europe with some Israelis in continuous dialogues -
meaning that Said Kamal was an essential link in the contact chains
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between the PLO and the Egyptian regime,
As for the opponents of Mahmoud Said Kamal and others, Egypt has kept the units
of the Palestine Liberation Army in Cairo until this moment, despite the attempt
of some to call for the removal of those units from Cairo. Israel raised
this issue during the Egyptian-Israeli talks, but Egypt responded by saying
that the stay of these forces ⟦is better⟧ in Egypt as a kind of easing the tension
on other fronts, especially since Egypt has closed all the training camps
that used to receive Palestinian youth for training on weapons,
which were supervised jointly between the resistance leadership and Egypt in
the beginning, then the supervision became handled by the Palestine Liberation Army
and the Egyptian military mission, headed by Colonel Samir Ezzat, who
held the rank of major and had good relations with the Palestinians, as
he was among the elements in charge of supervising and training the fedayeen
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Palestinian in 1956 in the Gaza Strip, and therefore he is in close contact
with most of the Palestinian military and Palestinian guerrilla leaderships, and even some
of the Palestinian leaders.
As a result of the role played by Sayyid Izzat, he was able to learn
the most precise secrets regarding the military resistance movement in particular and the political in general,
whether through some military personnel who are sent to Syria
and Lebanon for certain periods of time and then return to their military units
in Cairo, where all procedures are carried out through Brigadier General Sayyid Izzat -
and travel procedures ⟦a⟧ as they submit reports to him. And through some other military personnel
who reside permanently in Cairo but their work is in Lebanon
or they ascended
because some of them are present in several locations in Lebanon .. These people come
to Cairo constantly and in a manner and periodically, among them for
example Major / Ahmed Othman, the officer in charge of coordination between the resistance and the forces
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⟦p⟧
Emergency in Lebanon and in his last visit to Cairo, which was approximately
in the month of December - January 1980, he was tasked with contacting the organization
in the occupied territories, especially the Gaza Strip, and he actually traveled to El Arish and stayed
for one day, and contact was actually made with more than one person, and that was done with the knowledge
of the Egyptian authorities, who turned a blind eye to this work, and this is not the first
time that the authorities have turned a blind eye to such work; rather, it has been repeated more than
once, as they ⟦in⟧ facilitated the mission of several people to the Gaza Strip, some of whom
were caught and returned by cars and they are Egyptians, and some of them are still hiding.
As a result of the recurrence of such work, Israel has recently
informed Egyptian officials that it is dissatisfied and feels concerned
regarding the organization's activity in the El Arish area (Egyptian Al-Tagheer magazine).
<del>⟦illegible⟧</del> It is known that military coordination between the Palestine Liberation Organization
and the Egyptian regime is carried out through Brigadier General Mansour Al-Sharif
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P.
The commander of the Palestine Liberation Army in Cairo, who is in contact and has a
continuous relationship with Brigadier General Mohamed Ezzat, who commands Group 55 Military
Intelligence, and Colonel Mohamed Youssef, his assistant.
This means that the relationship between the Liberation Organization and the organization was not severed for a single
day, but rather proceeds in an upward direction despite the effects caused by the
assassination of the writer and author Youssef El Sebai on Palestinian-Egyptian
relations, in which the Egyptian media played a major role
in an attempt to sabotage this relationship and undermine it, the effects of which were reflected
in <del>canceling</del> the overall facilities that were given to Palestinians in Egypt, and which
Palestinians in Egypt are still suffering from until now.
Recent reports indicate ⟦that⟧ ⟦information⟧
to the fact that Palestinian-Egyptian relations are now moving in
an upward direction, due to the efforts being made also
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5
The Palestinian leadership to Cairo, which takes place periodically and continuously
As indicated by the Egyptian newspapers - October - without mentioning any names
Or titles for those officials, but those close confirm that at
The head of those officials who are making visits to Egypt
Is Dr. Ahmed Sidqi al-Dajani, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization
And one of Mr. Yasser Arafat's advisors and one of the closest
Very much to Mr. Arafat. And the choice of al-Dajani in particular for this
Mission is due to al-Dajani's relationship with Egypt, as he was one of <del>⟦illegible⟧</del>
The leaders of the Arab Palestine Organization, which was established by Egypt as a faction
Of the resistance movement's factions, in addition to his intimate relations with decision-makers
In Egypt, given his long-term work at the Egyptian newspaper Al-Goumhouria.
Where al-Dajani arrives in Cairo on special and very secret missions
Despite news revealed recently about some contacts
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Palestinian, which immediately took the initiative to draw the attention of the PLO
to that ..
All of this does not mean that the Palestinian point of view (Palestine Liberation
Organization) and the Egyptian one are identical towards the solutions proposed on the
Arab and international arena for the Middle East crisis and the Palestinian cause and towards
other international <del>⟦illegible⟧</del> issues.
The Palestinian positivity was met with positive Egyptian steps, perhaps the most important of which was
assigning some Egyptian figures with certain tasks during their travels, perhaps the most prominent of which
was what Abd al-Rahman al-Sharqawi and his colleagues, who attended the Beirut Conference,
for World Peace, were tasked with, as he contacted the Palestinian leaders, especially Arafat, to clarify the view
of the Egyptian government regarding two basic issues, namely:
A - The autonomy negotiations and the continuation of the Egyptian position as it is, which
conflicts with the Israeli position
B - Egypt's view regarding what is called a European initiative and the role
that it hopes and wishes the Palestine Liberation Organization to play towards such
an initiative ..
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For example
Al-Sharqawi also urged the Liberation Organization to tone down the intensity of the Palestinian attack on
Egypt so that it can carry out what is required of it.
It is worth noting that the wireless mail sent to the
Palestine Liberation Organization or to the Palestine Liberation Army, and even to the office of
the Fatah movement located on Adly Pasha Street in Cairo, is sent via
the Egyptian diplomatic pouch from Beirut to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
which in turn sends it to the intended recipients:
To confirm the relationship between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the authorities
Egyptian, the Liberation Organization submitted a request to the ⟦Ministry of Foreign Affairs⟧ Egyptian
to accredit Mr. Zuhdi al-Qudra as its representative in Cairo.. Cairo did not object
to that, and this accreditation took place due to Cairo's close knowledge
of Mr. Zuhdi al-Qudra, who used to work as a pilot for Rikabi instead of
his representation in Cairo before his expulsion from it, especially since Mr. Zuhdi al-Qudra
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They are linked by intimate relations with the Egyptian apparatuses
And every time the resistance parties - Al-Sa'iqa - discover any names
related to the leadership of the organization, they are formally removed from the sensitive positions
which they were occupying, as happened in the case of Brigadier General Hamid Othman.
Furthermore, the Fatah movement recently opened an information office in Paris, and the arrival of
the Palestinian Armed Struggle to Cairo to be a new link
between the PLO on one hand and the Egyptian regime on the other; this
is despite the fact that such a task is carried out by some liaison officers
Palestinians present in Cairo within the Palestine Liberation Army
The Egyptian authorities agreed to that after more than seven
months of hesitation.
It is notable that ⟦during⟧ the intensification of the dispute between Egypt and Israel
over the issues presented for discussion between them, Egypt draws closer to the PLO
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Secret
Very
Palestinian and between the Arab countries .. Perhaps the latest evidence of this
is the arrival of a secret signal to the command of the Palestine Liberation Army in Cairo
to prepare for the reopening of one of the camps belonging to the Liberation Army
which trains Palestinian resistance elements "it is known that all
resistance camps have been closed in Egypt".
There are no explanations regarding this signal which the Liberation Army
has actually begun to implement, and some have gone as far as to say that this
is due to:
1 - The Egyptian leadership's dissatisfaction with Israeli intransigence toward its negotiations
regarding the issue of autonomy.
2 - An Egyptian maneuver to deceive Arab public opinion in general and the Palestinian
in particular into believing that Egypt is committed to what it previously announced and continues to announce regarding
the rights of the Palestinian people
3 - Pushing Israel to show more flexibility by waving the threat of re-
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14
p
the resistance to Egypt, which leads to the restoration of the state of tension in the region
anew and placing the blame on the Israeli side, whose positions have become clear
before world public opinion.
2 - Preparing to receive the new newborn that everyone is betting on
that the year 1982 will not end except that the Palestinian cause has been reached
a solution for it and that this expected newborn will be nothing but the Palestinian state
which needs greater elements to protect it than the Palestinian cause!!
<del>⟦illegible⟧</del> and all those conclusions are possible and expected in light of
the current and near international circumstances if we take into account the statements
which were launched and are being launched by the current American administration - the administration of President Reagan -
and which are issued daily by these European countries regarding their visions
for the proposed solutions, which emphasize the necessity of respecting the rights of the people
Palestinian as stated in the United Nations resolutions, especially resolution number
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22 / 8 / 1978
In the name of
The Egyptian authorities have allowed the opposition in Egypt to attack
the Camp David Accords; indeed, they went in this direction to the extent of
pushing the Labor Party—despite the deterioration of its good relationship with the PLO and Arab countries—
to withdraw its support for those agreements as a form of the democracy experienced by
the Egyptian people!!
The regime's goal from this was two things..
A - Threatening <del>by cutting it</del> to renounce all the obligations
stipulated by the Camp David Accord.
B - Returning to the Arab ranks
C - Giving the opposition freedom of movement in Egypt, which means
more trouble for Israel and America.
But despite the Egyptian authorities' eagerness to increase the relationship
with the Palestinian extremist line, as the government magazine October calls it
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Q
rather, it works to improve it as a type of tactic, as it moves in another direction.. a direction
weakening the position of the Palestine Liberation Organization in its representation of the Palestinian people because
the Egyptian authorities fully realize that the ability of this stable "cover", i.e.,
the very moderate parties to control the organization's steps, directions, and its ability
to lead it to the path that the Egyptian leadership wants cannot be wagered
upon, nor can it be worked with and taken into consideration as a given.. and Egypt wants
legitimate cover for all the steps it takes to prepare for what it called peace and a separate
reconciliation with Israel - ⟦and this cover will not⟧ be legitimate unless
those carrying it out are the Liberation Organization or any Palestinian alternative. As for any Arab
cover, it will not lead to the desired result and will not lead to what is required of it.
This means that a Palestinian party must be found that can play the
required role, which is signing the final formula for peace, even if the Liberation Organization does not agree
to that. This is what prompted the Egyptian regime to work tirelessly to
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Continued
Some elements who could play this role were discovered, and among
them was Sheikh Hashim al-Khazindar, who was assassinated by elements of the PFLP
in Gaza about a year ago.
It was also recently revealed that <del>plans</del> ⟦several Egyptian attempts⟧ took place to contact some members
and officials of religious groups in the occupied land, especially the Gaza Strip, including for
example (Tawfiq al-Kurd), official of the Religious and Social Reform Association
in the Strip, who ⟦is alert⟧ to Israeli movements, so they used him to their advantage as well
in an attempt to learn about Egyptian orientations regarding the inhabitants of the occupied land,
which appeared to involve a coordination process between some of its parties in Gaza and
and the Egyptian regime.
In the final result, the relationship between the Organization and Egypt is moving in an upward direction in
anticipation of the broad European-American movement after the end of the elections in
Israel.
⟦1981/7/7⟧
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In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Revolutionary Command Council
General Intelligence Presidency
Information ⟦Dishan⟧
5 - 2
1 / 2 / 5
19 / 5 / 81
To the Second Division
We have learned the following :-
The Palestine Liberation Organization arrested (7) Egyptian officers
in Beirut sent by the ruler of Egypt to work with the isolationists as informants
against the National Movement and the Palestinian Resistance, and they came in civilian ranks
under the story of working in Lebanon.
For your kind information ⟦line⟧ with appreciation
⟦signature⟧
Director of the First Division
2
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Special Office
Public Affairs Division
Secret
Number: 592 / SH3
Date: 10 / 2 / 1981
To / Embassy of the Iraqi Republic - Beirut - Public Affairs Division
Subject / Information
We have learned the following:
1. The Egyptian regime sent a delegation to Beirut to meet with Yasser Arafat, and the
delegation was headed by Abdel Rahman Al-Shaqrawi and included members Ahmed Hamroush, Hamed Zidan,
Lutfi Al-Khouli, Father Kamrikhorbos, and Dr. Abdullah Abdul Shakour, Undersecretary of the Egyptian
Ministry of Endowments. The goal of this meeting was to convince Yasser Arafat to stand
by the Egyptian regime, especially after Egypt received a report stating that the Syrian
regime would eliminate the Palestinian Resistance.
2. The Egyptian President sent this delegation under the pretext of attending meetings of the Egyptian
Committee for Afro-Asian Solidarity.
3. The delegation held talks with Yasser Arafat, Abu Iyad, Abu al-Lutf, Abu al-Hawl,
and Abu Jihad, and Fahd al-Qawasmi also attended some of the talks.
Please verify the accuracy of the information and inform us ... with appreciation.
Head of the Public Affairs Division
Copy to /
SH3 / Your notification 147 on February 26, 1981
( 1 - 1 )
Secret
⟦illegible⟧
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General Secret Service Directorate
Form No. (2)
Directorate ( )
(A)
Division ( )
Opinion and Decision
Assistant Director General
198 / /
Requesting information from Beirut
for guidance in this matter, please
Division Director
12 / / 198
Coordination has been made with the Egyptian Embassy
and it became clear that the delegation will return to
Baghdad later.
2/11
Head of Department
198 / /
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Form No. (7)
General Secret Service Directorate
To: The Respected Director (Second Division)
Sub: Information
We have received information from our source stating the following:
1- The Egyptian regime sent a delegation to Beirut to meet with Yasser Arafat, and the delegation was
headed by Sayyid Marei al-Sharqawi, with the membership of Ahmed Hamroush, Hamed Zidan,
Lutfi al-Kholi, Father Kyrillos, and Dr. Abdullah Abdul Shakoor, Undersecretary of the Egyptian
Ministry of Awqaf. The goal of this meeting was to convince Yasser Arafat to stand
by the Egyptian regime, especially after Egypt received a report stating that the Syrian regime
would eliminate the Palestinian Resistance, and that the Egyptian President welcomes Yasser Arafat
to come to Egypt.
2- The purpose of sending this delegation to Beirut is to attend the meetings of the
Egyptian Committee for Afro-Asian Solidarity.
3- The delegation held talks with Yasser Arafat, Abu Iyad, Abu Lutf,
Abu al-Houl, and Abu Jihad. Fahd al-Qawasmi also attended some of the talks.
Please be informed and advise us of your instructions, with appreciation.
⟦signature⟧
Sayyid Sharif
11 / 7 / 81
Division Director /
/ / 198
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In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Revolutionary Command Council
Presidency of the General Intelligence Service
Information / Division 3
2 / 1 / 1980
65
141
⟦illegible⟧
To / Division 3
2/1
Attached is a copy of the Cairo station letter No. 3 dated 4 / 1 / 80
With an attached copy of a report regarding what is happening in
the Egyptian arena in terms of international contacts
Please review and benefit - with appreciation
⟦illegible⟧
Head of Division 3
To
Division 1 with copies of attachments for the same purpose above.
Division 4 with copies of the above attachments, please follow up on the relationship
of the Palestine Liberation Organization with Egypt and inform us - with appreciation