DATE=8/19/98 TYPE=ENGLISH PROGRAMS FEATURE NUMBER=7-30344 TITLE=DATELINE: ANONYMOUS TERRORISM BYLINE=PAMELA TAYLOR TELEPHONE=619-1101 DATELINE=WASHINGTON EDITOR=DON BUDD CONTENT= // NOTE: SOME MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS PROGRAM WAS PREVIOUSLY ISSUED ON HOUSE WIRES // INTRO: IT HAS BEEN NEARLY TWO WEEKS SINCE THE TERRORIST ATTACKS ON THE U-S EMBASSIES IN KENYA AND TANZANIA. ALTHOUGH INVESTIGATIONS ARE CONTINUING, NO GROUP HAS COME FORWARD TO CLAIM RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE BOMBINGS IN WHICH 257 PEOPLE WERE KILLED. THE INTENTION OF MOST TERRORISTS IS TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS THROUGH A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT POLICY. BUT WHAT ARE THE DEMANDS OR THE MOTIVES OF THOSE WHO PLANTED BOMBS IN NAIROBI AND DAR ES SALAAM? THAT'S THE QUESTION EXAMINED IN TODAY'S EDITION OF DATELINE. HERE'S PAMELA TAYLOR. TEXT: DURING TERRORISM'S HEYDAY IN THE 1970'S, ACTS OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE SUCH AS HIJACKINGS, KIDNAPPINGS AND BOMBINGS WERE USUALLY ACCOMPANIED BY A QUICK CLAIM OF RESPONSIBILITY. GERMANY'S RED BRIGADES, THE PALESTINIAN BLACK SEPTEMBER GROUP AND THE IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY ALL WANTED THEIR NAMES TO BE KNOWN AND FEARED. THEY ALSO WANTED THEIR GOALS PUT ON THE WORLD'S AGENDA. SO WHY HAS NO GROUP COME FORTH IN THE AFRICA BOMBINGS? PROFESSOR SIMONA SHARONI OF AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN WASHINGTON, D. C. BELIEVES THE LACK OF A CLAIM AND THE DATE THE BOMBINGS OCCURRED -- AUGUST 7TH -- ARE THEMSELVES CLUES TO THE PERPETRATOR. THAT DATE, SAYS PROFESSOR SHARONI -- A ROMANIAN FROM ISREAL -- IS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARRIVAL OF U-S TROOPS IN SAUDI ARABIA. ORIGINALLY SENT TO HELP DEFEND KUWAIT AGAINST IRAQ IN THE 1990 GULF WAR -- U-S TROOPS HAVE REMAINED ON SAUDI SOIL FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS. MOST TERRORISM EXPERTS BELIEVE THE 1996 TRUCK BOMBING OF A BUILDING HOUSING U-S MILITARY PERSONNEL IN DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA WAS LINKED TO THE PERSON REPORTED TO BE THE PRIME SUSPECT IN THE KENYA AND TANZANIA BOMBINGS -- A SAUDI MILLIONAIRE LIVING IN AFGHANISTAN: OSAMA BIN LADEN: TAPE: TAYLOR/SHARONI INTERVIEW RUNS 3:12 (SHARONI) THIS WAS, IN A WAY, CLAIMING RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE THE MESSAGE WAS IN THE CHOICE OF A PARTICULAR DATE AND THERE WAS THE CLUE AS TO WHICH GROUPS CARRIED OUT THE ATTACKS. (TAYLOR) WOULDN'T THAT INDICATE THAT SUSPICION IS POINTING IN THE DIRECTION OF THIS OSAMA BIN LADEN? (SHARONI) YES, BUT THE OMISSION OF THE DETAIL THAT IT HAPPENED ON THE 8TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEPLOYMENT OF TROOPS IN SAUDI ARABIA WOULD HAVE OPENED A WHOLE DISCUSSION, THAT WOULD NOT BE AROUND THE ACT ITSELF BUT THE POLITICAL CONTEXT. AND EVEN WITHOUT CLAIMING RESPONSIBILITY IT DIDN'T TAKE TO MUCH TO TRY AND FIND THEM. AND WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT FOR THEM IS THE MESSAGE TO THE BROADER AUDIENCE. IT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT LOGIC IN MY VIEW THAT UNDERLIES THIS NEW PHENOMENON, THAT BASICALLY MEANS SIGNALLING THE UNITED STATES THAT AS LONG AS IT HAS TROOPS IN THE GULF AND PARTICULARLY IN SAUDI ARABIA WHERE THE MOST SACRED ISLAMIC SITES ARE, ITS EMISARRIES ARE NOT GOING TO BE SAFE ANYWHERE ELSE. THERE ARE SIGNS THAT THE PRESENCE OF THOSE FORCES FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS IN SAUDI ARABIA IS AN ABOMINATION. (TAYLOR) SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT YOU DO THINK THAT THE CLAIM THAT PERHAPS ONLY DIPLOMATS UNDERSTAND, NOT THE GENERAL PUBLIC, THE UNSTATED CLAIM BEING MADE HERE BY SUPPORTERS OF OSAMA BIN LADEN IS ONCE AGAIN, THE UNITED STATES MUST REMOVE ITS TROOPS FROM SAUDI ARABIA. IS IT THAT SIMPLE? (SHARONI) YES. I THINK THAT'S THE MESSAGE AND I THINK IF ONE FOLLOWS THE ATTACK ON THE COBALT TOWER (APARTMENTS IN DHAHRAN) AND THEN THE EMBASSIES (IN KENYA AND TANZANIA), THERE IS A PATTERN THERE. IN ALL THESE CASES, THERE HASN'T BEEN A CLAIM OF RESPONSIBILITY BY THE GROUP CARRYING OUT THE ATTACK. AND IN ALL CASES THERE'S BEEN A CONNECTION TO U-S DEPLOYMENT OF FORCES IN SAUDI ARABIA. (TAYLOR) SO EXPLAIN AGAIN, HOW ACTING ANONYMOUSLY WORK IN THEIR FAVOR? (SHARONI) WELL, IT CREATED A WHOLE DEBATE, THE DEBATE THAT WE ARE PART OF NOW, ABOUT WHAT COULD BE THE REASON TO STRIKE AGAINST THE UNITED STATES? I MEAN IN A WAY THEY'VE ACHIEVED THE GOAL, BY NOT CLAIMING RESPONSIBILITY, OF OPENING UP A PUBLIC DEBATE ABOUT U-S FOREIGN POLICY, ABOUT THE PERCEPTION OF THE UNITED STATES AS A LEADER ON THE WORLD STAGE AND ABOUT U-S PRESENCE IN SAUDI ARABIA. TEXT: SIMONA SHARONI IS A TERRORISM EXPERT AND PROFESSOR OF PEACE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN WASHINGTON, D-C. [OPT] IN THE MIDDLE EAST, DIPLOMATS AND ANALYSTS HAVE ALL CONDEMNED THE LOSS OF LIFE IN NAIROBI AND DAR ES SALAAM. AT THE SAME, THEY NOTE, THERE IS A HIGH DEGREE OF FRUSTRATION OVER U-S POLICY IN THE REGION. VOA CORRESPONDENT SCOTT BOBB IN CAIRO HAS MORE: TAPE: CUT # 2 BOBB #5-41121 RUNS 3:44 THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CAIRO'S AL-AHRAM CENTER FOR POLITICAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES, MOHAMED SAYED SA'ID, SPOKE TO VOA ABOUT PUSSIBLE REASONS BEHIND THE ATTACKS IN KENYA AND TANZANIA. // FIRST SAYED ACTUALITY // IN THE FIRST PLACE, THIS IS A DECLARATION OF PRESENCE, THAT THEY ARE HERE (IN AFRICA) IN THE FIRST PLACE. SECONDLY, THE SECOND MESSAGE IS THAT THEY HAVE A GLOBAL REACH, THEY ARE NOT A MEAGER OR SMALL-SIZED ORGANIZATION. // END ACT // MANY EXPERTS BELIEVE THE INCIDENTS ARE RELATED TO ISSUES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY NOTE SEVERAL TERRORIST GROUPS HAVE TARGETED U-S INTERESTS IN ORDER TO PROTEST U-S POLICIES IN THE REGION. PROFESSOR SAYED SAYS A NUMBER OF THESE GROUPS MET EARLIER THIS YEAR IN CENTRAL ASIA AND AGREED TO FORM A UNITED FRONT. HE SAYS SOME OF THESE GROUPS STRONGLY OBJECT TO THE U-S MILITARY PRESENCE IN THE ARAB WORLD AND IN PARTICULAR IN SAUDI ARABIA, WHICH IS HOME TO THE TWO HOLIEST SHRINES IN ISLAM. [OPT] OTHER GROUPS OBJECT TO A RECENT INTERNATIONAL EXTRADITION AGREEMENT THAT HAS SEEN MANY DISSIDENTS RETURNED HOME FOR TRIAL AND PRISON. SOME OF THESE DISSIDENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN CONVICTED OF TERRORISM, BUT OTHES HAVE NOT BEEN TRIED, CAUSING PROTESTS FROM HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS. [END OPT] MANY GROUPS CRITICIZE THE LACK OF PROGRESS TOWARD PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY SYMPATHIZE WITH THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE. THEY BLAME THE STALEMATE ON ISRAEL AND WHAT THEY SEE AS U-S POLICIES WHICH FAVOR ISRAELI POSITIONS OVER PALESTINIAN ONES. A RESEARCHER AT THE AL-AHRAM CENTER, HALLA MOUSTAFA SAYS BECAUSE OF U-S POLICIES, ISLAMISTS ARE GAINING SUPPORT IN THE REGION, FOLLOWING SEVERAL YEARS OF SETBACKS. // HALLA ACTUALITY // THE U-S ADMINISTRATION, MAYBE IT HAS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THIS ANIMOSITY WHICH WAS GROWING AMONG THE ARAB PEOPLES AGAINST THE U-S POLICY TOWARD THE PEACE PROCESS. // END ACT // PROFESSOR HALLA SAYS THE U-S GOVERNMENT IS PERCEIVED AS FAVORING ISRAEL IN THE PEACE PROCESS AND THIS PERCEPTION IS REDUCING ITS DIPLOMATIC EFFECTIVENESS IN THE REGION. U-S OFFICIALS DISPUTE THIS ASSERTION AND SAY THEY ARE EQUALLY FRUSTRATED WITH THE LACK OF PROGRESS IN THE PEACE PROCESS, BUT SAY PRIVATELY THEY FEAR THE STALEMATE MAY CONTINUE UNTIL THERE IS A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT IN ISRAEL. ARAB LEADERS SAY THEY FEAR A RESURGENCE OF VIOLENCE IN THE REGION IF THE CRISIS IS NOT DEFUSED. [OPT] PROFESSOR SAYED NOTES THAT DESPITE THE FRUSTRATION ,MOST PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST REJECT TERRORISM BECAUSE VIOLENCE GOES AGAINST THEIR RELIGION AND HURTS THEIR POLITICAL CAUSES. // 2ND SAYED ACT // I THINK EVENTS OF THIS NATURE ARE UNIVERSALLY CONDEMNED IN THE ARAB AND ISLAMIC WORLD BECAUSE THEY CONTINUE TO POLLUTE THE IMAGE OF ISLAM AND THEY ARE INTENDED TO REVERSE THE RISING SYMPATHY WITHIN THE UNITED STATES WITH THE PLIGHT OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND THE NEED FOR JUSTICE FOR THE PALESTINIANS. // END ACT // VIRTUALLY ALL ANALYSTS IN THE REGION ACKNOWLEDGE VIOLENCE -- LIKE THE BOMBINGS IN KENYA AND TANZANIA -- DISRUPT NORNAL LIFE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AND DIVERT THE ATTENTION OF WORLD LEADERS FROM COOPERATION ON THE JOINT PURSUIT OF LONG-TERM STRATEGIC GOALS. THEY SAY THAT MAY WELL SERVE THE INTERESTS OF THOSE FOR WHOM THOSE LONG-TERM GOALS REPRESENT A THREAT. TEXT: VOA CORRESPONDENT SCOTT BOBB REPORTING FROM CAIRO. [END OPT] MANY MUSLIMS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD ARE CONCERNED THAT WHETHER TERORIST ATTACKS ARE ANONYMOUS OR NOT -- RADICAL ISLAMISTS TEND TO BE BLAMED. THIS, THEY SAY, ONLY FURTHER FUELS THE WESTERN TENDENCY TO EQUATE ISLAM WITH VIOLENCE. 'ANONYMOUS TERRORISM' WAS THE SUBJECT OF TODAY'S DATELINE. (SIGNED) NEB/PAM/DAB 19-Aug-98 10:26 AM EDT (1426 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .