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1994-05-02
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<text>
<title>
State-Sponsored Terrorism Overview
</title>
<article>
<hdr>
Patterns Of Global Terrorism: 1991
State-Sponsored Terrorism Overview
</hdr>
<body>
<p> The United States and its allies focus on raising the costs
for those governments that support, tolerate, and engage in
international terrorism. It is widely recognized that
government support for terrorist groups enhances their
capabilities and makes more difficult law enforcement efforts
to counter terrorism.
</p>
<p> A number of governments continue to provide terrorists
safehaven, travel documents, arms, training, and technical
expertise. In addition to support for terrorist groups, some
governments engage directly in terrorism as a tool of their
foreign and domestic policies. During 1991 Iranian and Iraqi
agents carried out international terrorist attacks, and the
evidence of Libyan responsibility for the bombings of Pan Am
103 in 1988 and UTA 772 in 1989 was made public. Other
governments, though not direct sponsors of terrorist groups,
contribute to such groups' capabilities by allowing them
unimpeded transit, and permitting them to carry out recruitment
and other support activities.
</p>
<p> The United States currently lists Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya,
North Korea, and Syria as state supporters of terrorism. This
list is maintained pursuant to Section 6 (j) of the Export
Administration Act of 1979. This and related US statutes impose
trade and other restrictions on countries determined by the
Secretary of State to have repeatedly provided support for acts
of international terrorism. The list is sent annually to
Congress, though countries can be added or removed at any time
that circumstances warrant.
</p>
<p> The international effort to curtail state support for
terrorism achieved tangible results in 1991. The United States
in concert with the international community responded swiftly
and firmly to Iraq and the groups pledging to carry out
terrorist attacks on behalf of Saddam Hussein. Messages were
sent warning Iraq and these groups of the consequences of a
resort to terrorism. Many governments preemptively expelled more
than 200 Iraqi diplomatic and intelligence personnel to reduce
the threat posed by Iraq's network of support. Many countries
also alerted their citizens to the threat posed by Iraqi-
sponsored terrorism and upgraded security at facilities likely
to be terrorist targets such as airports and the airlines of
coalition countries. Cooperation among law enforcement and
intelligence services in many different nations increased the
effectiveness of national counterterrorist measures against
Iraq.
</p>
<p> Scottish authorities and the US Department of Justice on 14
November publicly charged two Libyans with carrying out the
bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 on 21 December 1988 and the
resulting murder of 270 innocent people. An exhaustive nearly
three-year investigation, relying on cooperation among law
enforcement and intelligence services in many countries,
resulted in the indictments against a senior Libyan Arab
Airlines officer, a former manager of a Libyan Arab Airlines
office, and unidentified coconspirators. French judicial
authorities had issued international arrest warrants two weeks
earlier charging four Libyan officials with involvement in the
September 1989 bombing of UTA Flight 772. The bombings of Pan Am
103 and UTA 772 are part of a historical pattern of Libyan
Government-sponsored terrorist attacks.
</p>
<p> Despite these counterterrorism accomplishments, there is a
continuing danger posed by state sponsorship. Iranian agents
have been charged with the August murder of former Iranian
Prime Minister Bakhtiar and his aide outside Paris. Iran has
also strengthened its relationship with extremist groups
throughout the world by providing advice and financial and
material assistance, often through its embassies. Iran's support
is increasingly important not only to Islamic extremist
organizations but also to Palestinian groups that may have lost
some support from other state sponsors. Libya continues to
provide financial, logistic, and training facilities for
international terrorist groups, including the notorious Abu
Nidal organization (ANO), which is headquartered in Libya.
Syria continues to allow terrorists to operate within its
territory and allows numerous terrorist groups--of both
Palestinian and non-Palestinian origin--to have training
facilities in the Bekaa region of Lebanon, which is under
effective Syrian military control. Cuba and North Korea continue
to provide safehaven and training for various terrorist groups.
</p>
<p>Source: United States Department of State, April 1992.
</p>
</body>
</article>
</text>