25320 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS September 30, 1985 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS THE SANDINISTAS: OLD pendence on Eastern-bloc aid, arms, and ad­ Liberation of Palestine <PFLP>, attempted FRIENDS OF MIDDLE EASTERN visers. It is recognized that those relations to overthrow the government of King Hus­ TERRORISTS are inimical to United States and hemi­ sein of Jordan in 1970, PLO-trained Sandi­ spheric interests. This report notes a differ­ nistas participated. ent yet related aspect of Sandinista policy: One PLO-Sandinista operation was dis­ HON. ~.S.BROO~ELD the relationship between the Sandinistas cussed in an interview by Sandinista spokes­ OF MICHIGAN and radical Middle Eastern groups and man Jorge Mandt with al-Watan, a Kuwaiti IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES states, including terrorist elements support­ newspaper: "A number of Sandinistas took ed by those groups and states. Their ties part in the operation to divert four aircraft Monday, September 30, 1985 with the Palestine Liberation Organization which the PFLP seized and landed at a Mr. BROOMFIELD. Mr. Speaker, we <PLO> reach back more than ten years desert airfield in Jordan. One of our com­ before the revolution in Nicaragua. Libya rades was also wounded in another hijack often overlook the fact that the Sandinistas has given the Sandinistas both pre- and operation in which Leila Khaled was in­ have old and well established ties with ter­ post-revolution aid, at first in conjunction volved. She was in command of the oper­ rorists from the Middle East. These con­ with or through the PLO, and eventually ation and our comrades helped her carry it tinuing links and the presence of known through its own agreements with the Sandi­ out.'' He continued, "Many of the units be­ terrorists in Nicaragua today present a real nista government. More recently, the Sandi­ !onging to the Sandinista movement were at threat to countries in this hemisphere. nistas have developed closer ties with Iran. Palestinian revolutionary bases in Sandinista-PLO ties were cemented in Relations between the Sandinistas and Jordan. Nicaraguan and Palestinian the late 1960's when Comandante Tomas Middle Eastern radicals result from years of blood was spilled together in Amman and carefully developed contacts between radi­ other places during the 'Black September Borge and other Sandinistas were trained cal forces in Central America and the battles.' " Mandt's reference to a "hijack op­ in PLO terrorist camps in Lebanon. Sandi­ Middle East. This report describes how the eration" concerned the hijacking of an El Al nista guerrillas participated in the attempt­ relationships started, the mutual assistance airliner en route from Tel Aviv to London, ed overthrow of King Hussein of Jordan that the PLO and the Sandinista National on September 6, 1970. Sandinista Patrick and a Sandinista was killed while assisting Liberation Front <FSLN> have given each Arquello Ryan was killed in this hijacking in a PLO hijacking. These close ties contin­ other, and the Sandinistas' relationships attempt; he had been trained at one of the ue today. The PLO has an embassy in with Libya and Iran. PLO camps. Arguello is now revered by the downtown Managua, and the PLO provides THE FIRST CONTACTS: TRAINING AND ARMS Sandinistas as a hero and a large dam under arms and trainers to the Ortega regime. The PLO made its international debut in construction has been named in his honor. Libya, another terrorist-supporting coun­ 1966 in Havana, CUba, at the First Confer­ THE SANDINISTA REVOLUTION AND PLO try, has close diplomatic and trade ties with ence of the Organization of Solidarity of INVOLVEMENT IN THE LATE 1970'S Nicaragua. Libya has also given f"mancial the Peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin Amer­ The Sandinistas who trained in PLO ica <also known as the Tri-Continental Con­ camps in the Middle East gained an asset support and arms to that country. ference>. At this conference, Fidel Castro almost as valuable to them as their guerrilla Managua maintains close ties with Iran, brought together 500 delegates from radical training: contacts with sources of aid and another nation which uses terrorism as an leftist groups around the world to devise a arms. Again, Tomas Borge was the major instrument of its foreign policy. That coun­ strategy for what they called the global rev­ go-between in aid and arms negotiations. try has provided arms to the Sandinistas olutionary movement. While acting in his dual capacity as the San­ and has signed a large trade agreement Results of that conference soon became dinista's PLO liaison and as Castro's emis­ with the Comandantes. apparent. In the months following the con­ sary, the wide range of contacts he amassed The Sandinista government provides ference, guerrilla training camps appeared in the radical Middle East served him well in various countries, with major clusters in as he prepared for the Sandinistas' own rev­ passports to undesirable radicals and other Cuba, the Soviet Union, Lebanon, and olution. terrorists from the Middle East, Europe Libya. Members of the PLO were among the Borge used PLO assistance to obtain arms and Latin America. PLO operatives use first to be trained in the Cuban and Soviet from North Korea and Vietnam for the San­ Nicaragua as a base for their terror oper­ camps, thanks to the close ties developed at dinistas. Libyan money helped pay for some ations in Central America. Known terror­ the Tri-Continental Conference. of these arms. Reportedly, other shipments ists from the Basque terrorist group, the Training courses at these camps generally of supplies and arins came from the PLO ETA, the German Basdar-Meinhof and lasted six months and included ideological itself. In July 1979, one planeload was inter­ other murdering gangs make Nicaragua indoctrination as well as practical training cepted when it stopped in Tunis. This PLO­ their home. in the use of weapons and explosives. The chartered aircraft, ostensibly carrying medi­ indoctrination focused on the theories of cal supplies from Beirut for Nicaraguan ref­ Comandante Ortega is exporting revolu­ Marx, Lenin, and Stalin. Lecture topics in­ ugees, was found instead to hold 50 tons of tion and terrorism in this hemisphere. Ter­ cluded: "Russian Ties to the Third World," arins, including an anti-aircraft gun. The rorism is nothing new, however, to the San­ "The Struggle Against Imperialism," "The Tunisian government did not allow the ship­ dinistas. Soviet Contribution to Palestinian Libera­ ment to go through. I commend the following excerpts from a tion," "Zonist Ties to Imperialsim," and REVOLUTIONARY SOLmARITY: MILITARY AND State Department publication on Nicaragua "The Reactionary Nature of North Yemen ECONOMIC TIES and terrorism to my colleagues in the Con­ and Saudi Arabia." Practical training in Shortly after the Sandinistas seized gress. techniques of warfare included blowing up munitions dumps, bridges, and vehicles; power, they rewarded the PLO for its assist­ THE SANDINISTAS AND MIDDLE EASTERN planting personnel mines; the rudiments of ance in their revolution by granting it un­ RADICALS precedented "government to government" biological and chemical warfare; marksman­ ties. In most countries the PLO was at best <An unclassified report on Sandinista ties to ship and camouflage; urban and field tac­ permitted to open an "office"; in Managua Middle Eastern radicals, including Sandi­ tics; and the use and maintenance of Soviet it was permitted to open an "embassy," with nista participation in Middle East aircraft equipment such as rockets and shoulder­ the ranking representative holding the title hijacking and terrorism in 1970, and their borne missile launchers. of "ambassador." The PLO ambassador and continuing relations with these groups SANDINISTA PARTICIPATION IN MmDLE EAST his staff were accorded full diplomatic privi­ and states in the 1980s> TERRORISM IN THE 1970'S leges. INTRODUCTION The investment in training Nicaraguans In July 1980, Yasser Arafat made a four­ Foreign policy analysts and the news had some immediate dividends for the PLO. day "state visit" to Nicaragua to formalize media have noted Sandinista relations with When the PLO and its radical component full diplomatic ties between the Nicaraguan the CUbans and Soviets and Sandinista de- groups, including the Popular Front for the government and the PLO. On July 22 at a e l"his "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by the Member of the Senate on the floor. Boldface type indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. September 30, 1985 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 25321 reception in his honor Arafat praised "the Prime Minister Musaviis believed to control rorist activity, including the planning, train­ strategic and military ties between the San­ Iran's terrorist operations. ing, financing, and implementation of ter­ dinista and Palestinian revolutions." Interi­ The Sandlntstas admit that an oil deal rorist acts. Sandlntsta ties with this network or Minister Borge responded, "We say to with Iran was discussed, but they deny that pose increasing danger of violence for the our brother Arafat that Nicaragua is his arms shipments were agreed upon. Never­ Western Hemisphere. land and the PLO cause is the cause of the theless there were reports that on January Sandinistas." Arafat replied: "The links be­ 25, 1985, two shiploads of arms were under tween us are not new. Your comrades did way from Iran, to be transferred to Nicara­ TRmUTE TO REPRESENTATIVE not come to our country just to train, but guan ships at some point, and that there WYCHE FOWLER also to fight. Your enemies are our en­ may be some Iranian funding for the inter­ emies." Arafat expanded on this theme in national terrorist presence in Nicaragua. HON. RICHARD RAY an interview with Radio Sandino the same A HAVEN FOR SUBVERSIVES day: "the Nicaragua people's victory is the The FSLN government has issued Nicara­ OF GEORGIA victory of the Palestinians.