Chronology November 16, 1979-February 15, 1980

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Source: Middle East Journal, Vol. 34, No. 2 (Spring, 1980), pp. 161-180
Published by: Middle East Institute
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 CHRONOLOGY
November 16, 1979-February15, 1980
ArabIsraeliConflict
(Seealso, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Turkey)
1979
Nov. 16. The Mayor of the occupied West Bank town of
Nablus, Bassam al-Shak'ah, told his attorney that he
would refuse solid foods until he was released from
prison in Ramallah by Israeli authorities. [NYT)
Nov. 17: Israeli troops prevented West Bank mayors
from gathering in Gaza for a 1 day hunger strike in
support of Nablus Mayor Shak'ah. [NYTI
Nov. 18: The Israeli government set a 6 week deadline
for final evacuation of the Elon Moreh settlement on
the West Bank. The Supreme Court had ordered the
evacuation. [NYT]
Two guerrillas were killed and 2 captured by Israeli
naval forces off the coast of Nahariya. The guerrillas
had set off from Lebanon. [JP
Palestinians demonstrated on the West Bank and
Gaza to protest against the detention of Shak'ah.
[NYT]
Nov. 20: Representatives of Egypt, Israel and the US
ended talks on Palestinian autonomy in Tel Aviv and
reported that some progress had been made. [NYTJ
Nov. 21: Israel returned 30 acres of the Elon Moreh set-
tlement to their Arab owners. [NYT}
Nov. 22: The Israeli Supreme Court refused to release
Shak'ah from prison pending judicial review of an or-
der for his deportation. [NYT}
Nov. 25. Israel returned the Alma oilfield in the Gulf of
Suez to Egypt in ceremonies at the Sinai town of El
Tur. [NYT]
Nov. 26: A judicial hearing for Shak'ah before the Mili-
tary Advisory Committee was postponed. [NYT]
Nov. 27: Six men attacked a girls' school at the Jalazoun
refugee camp on the West Bank while the school was
in session. The attackers smashed classroom win-
dows, threw stones at women and children and fired
bullets into the air. [NYT]
Shak'ah said he would not compromise with the Is-
raeli government in order to receive lighter punish-
ment. [NYT]
List of Abbreviations
AN, Arab News; FBIS, Foreign BroadcastInformationServiceDaily Report-Middle East and North Africa; JP, The
JerusalemPost; MEED,Middle East EconomicDigest; MEES, MiddleEast EconomicSurvey;NYT, The New YorkTimes;
TDN, Turkish Daily News; WP, The Washington Post.
161
Nov. 29: The UN General Assembly voted by 75 to 33
with 37 abstentions to adopt a resolution that re-
jected the provisions of the Camp David accords
which "ignore, infringe upon, violate or deny the in-
alienable rights of the Palestinian people." [AN}
Shak'ah ended a 2 week hunger strike in prison.
[NYT)
Dec. 2. A Greek Orthodox monk was found dead at a
monastery near Nablus. He had been killed by a hand
grenade. [NYT]
Dec. 5: Israel reversed its decision to deport Shak'ahand
released him from prison. [NYT]
The mayors of the West Bank and Gaza withdrew
their resignations upon the release of Shak'ah. They
had resigned to protest his detention. [NYT]
Dec. 6: The General Assembly voted by 102 to 17 with
20 abstentions to condemn partial agreements and
separate treaties which violated the rights of the Pal-
estinian people. [AN]
Dec. 8: US Special Envoy to the Middle East Sol Lino-
witz arrived in Cairo for meetings with Egyptian lead-
ers on the progress of Palestinian autonomy
negotiations between Egypt and Israel. [NYT]
Dec. 9: US Special Envoy Linowitz met with Egyptian
President Anwar al-Sadit near Cairo. Later he said he
was "not confident" that an agreement on Palestinian
autonomy could be reached by the following May.
[NYT]
The Israeli Cabinet gave permission for work to be-
gin on a new settlement to replace Elon Moreh. Bull-
dozers began work on the new settlement.
[NYT]
Dec. 10.' Linowitz met with Israeli Premier Menahem
Begin in Israel and said the meeting had left him
"immensely heartened." [NYT]
Dec. 11: The Mayors of El Bireh and Ramallah were put
on trial for allegedly shoving a policeman outside a
courtroom more than 1 year earlier. [NYT]
Dec. 12: Israel announced that 6 Jewish settlers from the
West Bank settlement of Shiloh had been arrested
and charged in connection with the attack on the girls'
school in the Jalazoun refugee camp. [NYT]
Linowitz and Israeli Interior Minister Yosef Burg
flew to Cairo and met with Egyptian Premier Mustafa
162 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
Khall. Later Khalil said that "fresh ideas" had been
brought. [NYT]
A bomb exploded outside a building housing the
Israeli Embassy in San Salvador. [NYT]
Dec. 13: Linowitz met with Israeli Premier Begin in Is-
rael. LaterLinowitz said that "some real progress" had
been made in the negotiations. [NYT]
Dec. 15. Gunmen assassinated 2 PLO officials in Ni-
cosia, Cyprus. [NYT)
Dec. 16. It was reported that 1 of the Palestinians mur-
dered in Cyprus had been chief of guerrilla opera-
tions in the West Bank. [NYT]
Dec. 18: An Israeli missile boat docked at Port Said,
Egypt. It was the first Israeli naval vessel to dock at an Palestinian autonomy. [NYT]
Egyptian port. [NYT)
Israeli soldiers used tear gas to disperse a demon-
stration near Hebron mourning the death of a local
Palestinian in Cyprus. [NYTI
Dec. 19. Egyptian, Israeli and US delegations concluded
a round of talks in Cairo on Palestinian autonomy.
[NYT]
Nationalists of the Arab Students Front swept stu-
dent elections for the Arab Students' Committee on
the Hebrew University Campus in Jerusalem. [NYT]
Dec. 24: A Nigerian serving in the UN Interim Forces in
Lebanon was expelled from Israel shortly after being
sentenced to prison for gunrunning for Palestinian
guerrillas. [NYT]
Dec. 28: Begin visited the Kiryat Arba settlement near
Hebron. He was heckled by Jews opposed to Pales-
tinian self rule. [NYT)
Dec. 30: The Israeli government voted to extend for 5
weeks the deadline for evacuation of the Elon Moreh
settlement. [NYT}
Dec. 31.' Israeli Energy Minister Yitzhak Modai said that
the government planned to expropriate the East Jeru-
salem Electric Company, an Arab run concern.
[NYT]
1980
Jan. 7: Begin flew to Aswan and met with Egyptian Pres-
ident Sadat. [NYTI
Six US Congressmen met with Palestine Liberation Feb. 2: Linowitz met with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince
Organization (PLO) leader Yasir 'Arafatin Beirut and
urged the PLO to "halt military operations against Is-
rael from Lebanon." [NYT]
Jan. 8: Begin and Sadat met in Aswan. Details of the Feb. 3. A bomb exploded in Rehovot, near Tel Aviv,
meeting were not made public. [NYT]
Jan. 10. The talks in Aswan ended. An Egyptian pro- Feb. 4. Linowitz met with Moroccan King Hasan in Mar-
posal to administer any future accord on Palestinian
autonomy first in the Gaza Strip was considered in the
meeting. [NYT]
Jan. 16: Representatives of Syria, Algeria, Libya, South
Yemen and the PLO convened an emergency meet- Feb. 10. An Israeli Cabinet communique said the gov-
ing of the Steadfastness and Confrontation Front.
[NYT]
Egypt said it had rejected Israeli proposals on Pal-
estinian autonomy that were "old and previously re
jected." [NYT]
Jan. 17: A bomb exploded in a hotel in London, killing a
Bahrayni. A second bomb exploded in the rubble.
[NYT]
The inhabitants of Elon Moreh agreed to move to a
new site near Nablus. [NYT}
Jan. 18: Israeli soldiers killed a man who had crossed
the Lebanese border and opened fire on them.
[NYT]
Jan. 22: Israel announced that municipal elections in the
West Bank and Gaza would not be held in April as
scheduled pending the outcome of negotiations on
Jan. 23: The New York Times cited "official sources" as
saying Israel had established a new settlement, called
Maale, in the West Bank. [NYT]
Jan. 25: Israel returned 5,500 square miles of the Sinai,
including the Gidi and Mitla passes, to Egypt at cere-
monies at a military airfield near Bir Gafgafa. [NYT]
Jan. 26. The border between Israel and Egypt was de-
clared open. Telex traffic between the 2 countries be-
gan. [NYT]
Linowitz met with Jordanian King Husayn in Lon-
don. Later he said the talks had been "very frank."
[NYT]
Arabs in East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank
staged a general strike to protest the normalization of
relations between Egypt and Israel. [NYT]
Jan. 28: The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Egypt had
asked Israel to delay sending a team of diplomats to
Cairo to set up an Embassy. [NYT}
Jan. 29: Israel began to dismantle the Elon Moreh set-
tlement. Four families in the settlement refused to
move from the site. [NYT]
Linowitz flew to Israel from Egypt. [NYT]
Jan. 30. Linowitz met with Gaza Mayor Rishad al-Shawa
in Gaza on Palestinian autonomy. Shawa said later
that he objected to "the autonomy they are speaking
about." [NYT]
Jan. 31: An Israeli Jew was shot in the market at He-
bron. He later died of his wounds. [NYT]
A curfew was placed on Hebron. UP]
Feb. 1: Linowitz met with Khalil and Israeli Interior
Minister Burg in Herzliya, Israel. Later he said that
"very significant progress" had been reached. [NYT]
Fahd in Saudi Arabia concerning the progress of the
negotiations between Egypt and Israel on the Pales-
tinian question. [NYT]
injuring 6 people. [NYT]
rakesh on the progress of the Egyptian Israeli negotia-
tions on Palestinian autonomy. [NYT]
Feb. 6. The Egyptian parliament approved a law ending
the economic boycott of Israel. UP]
ernment had "no objection to Jews living in Hebron
as in any other part of Israel." [NYT]
The curfew on Hebron was lifted. UP]
 CHRONOLOGY
Feb. 12: A US spokesman said that an Israeli decision to
allow Jews to settle in Hebron "would be a step back-
wards in the peace process." [NYT)
"Israeli military sources" said the Soviet Union had
supplied armored equipment and about 60 tanks to
the PLO. The PLO denied the report. [NYT]
Feb. 13: The Israeli Knesset Finance Committee appro-
priated $1.3m for the purchase of land in the occu-
pied territories from private Arab land owners.
[NYT]
General
(Seealso, Afghanistan, Iran)
1979
Nov. 26: The US State Department said it had told its
Embassies in about 10 Muslim countries to evacuate
"voluntarily" dependents, non-essential diplomats
and private businessmen. The countries were not
named. [NYT)
Nov. 27: The US issued a "travel advisory" urging all
Americans to avoid non-essential travel to Bangla-
desh, the UAA, Bahrayn, Kuwayt, Qatar, Oman, Ye-
men, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Lebanon. [NYT]
Dec. 11: A US federal district judge ordered a halt to
special immigration checks on Iranian students in the
US. [NYT]
Dec. 27: A federal appeals court ruled that the US could
conduct special immigration checks on Iranian stu-
dents in the US. [NYT]
Dec. 29: The New York Times reported that US Presi-
dent Jimmy Carter had said he had told Soviet Presi-
dent Leonid Brezhnev on the hot line that the Soviet
Union would suffer "serious consequences" in its re-
lations with the US if it did not pull its forces out of
Afghanistan. [NYT]
1980
Jan. 3. US President Carter asked the Senate to post-
pone its debate on the Salt II treaty with the Soviet
Union because of the crisis in Afghanistan. [WP)
Jan. 4: Carter called the Soviet presence in Afghanistan
"an extremely serious threat to peace." He an-
nounced that Soviet fishing privileges in US waters
would be curtailed, that "no high technology or other
strategic items" would be licensed for sale to the So-
viet Union and that grain ordered by the Soviet
Union from the US above amounts agreed upon by
treaty would not be delivered. [NYT]
Carter said that "continued aggressive actions" by
the Soviet Union would "endanger"the participation
of the US in the Olympic Games in Moscow. [NYT]
Jan. 5: The Soviet press agency Tass said the measures
announced by Carter were "borrowed from the arse-
nal of the 'cold war.'" [NYT]
Jan. 6: Saudi Arabia withdrew from the 1980 summer
Olympics to protest the Soviet intervention in Af-
ghanistan. [NYT]
163
Jan. 8: Carter ordered the withdrawal of 7 US consular
officers from Kiev and the expulsion of 17 Soviet dip-
lomats from New York. [NYTI
Jan. 11: Canadian Premier Joe Clark said his govern-
ment questioned "the appropriateness"of holding the
Olympics in Moscow. [NYTI
Jan. 12: Soviet President Brezhnev said that allegations
that the Soviet Union had "expansionist designs" on
Iran or Pakistan were "absolutely false." [NYT]
Jan. 20. Carter said that if the Soviet Union did not pull
its troops out of Afghanistan within one month he
would "not support the sending of an American team
to the Olympics." [NYT}
Jan. 23: Carter said the US would use "any means nec-
essary, including military force" to repel an attack on
the Persian Gulf. He announced that he would seek
authority to resume draft registration to "meet future
mobilization needs." [NYT]
Jan. 24: The US said it was willing to sell China military
support equipment. [NYT]
The US House of Representatives voted 386 to 12
to urge the US Olympic Committee to press for the
transfer or cancellation of the Olympic Games.
[NYT]
Jan. 25: Japanese Premier Masayoshi Ohira condemned
the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan and said Japan
was ready to make "sacrifices"to force a Soviet with-
drawal. [NYT]
Jan. 28: It was reported that Morocco would boycott
the Olympic Games. [NYT]
Jan. 29: The US Senate voted by 88 to 4 for a resolution
calling for the US to boycott the Moscow Olympics
even if Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan.
[NYT]
Carter said that the US did not claim it could de-
fend the Persian Gulf "unilaterally".[NYTI
Jan. 31. The Dutch Parliament voted to authorize the
government to recommend that the Netherlands boy-
cott the summer Olympics. [NYT]
Feb. 1. China said it was joining the Olympic boycott.
[NYT]
Japan said that a boycott "was desirable" and urged
its Olympic committee to take "an appropriate step."
[NYT]
Feb. 3: Kenya announced it would boycott the summer
Olympic Games if they were held in Moscow. [NYT]
Feb. 5: France and West Germany issued a joint call for
Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan "without delay."
[NYT]
Feb.8. Nigeria said its Olympics team was going to Mos-
cow. [NYT]
Feb. 12: International Olympic Committee (IOC) Presi-
dent Lord Killanin said that 73 members of the IOC
had unanimously agreed that the Olympic Games
"must be held in Moscow as planned." [NYT)
US officials said that Carter had ordered an am-
phibious assault force to go to the Arabian Sea to
demonstrate US military capability. [NYT]
Feb. 15: The European Parliament called for a boycott of
the Olympics and an embargo on sales of surplus
commodities to the Soviet Union. [NYT]
164 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
Petroleum Affairs
(Seealso, Iran)
1979
Nov. 26: UAA Oil Minister Mini' Sa'id al-'Utaybah said
that the UAA would reduce oil production by 5% at
the beginning of 1980. [NYT]
Dec. 4: Oil Ministers from the Organization of Arab Pe-
troleum Exporting Countries met in Kuwayt on tech-
nical cooperation in oil matters. [NYT}
Dec. 13: Saudi Arabia, the UAA, Qatar and Venezuela
announced oil price increases. [NYT}
An explosion touched off a fire on an empty super-
tanker off the coast of Oman. [NYT}
Dec. 14: Saudi Arabia announced that it would maintain
oil production at 9.5m barrels a day through the fol-
lowing April at least. [NYT]
Dec. 16: Libyan Oil Minister 'Izz al-Din Mabruk said
Libya had raised the price of its light crude oil by $4 a
barrel to $30, retroactive to November 1. [NYT]
Dec. 17: A ministerial conference of the Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) opened in
Caracas, Venezuela. [NYTI
Iranian Oil Minister 'Ali Akbar Mu'infar confirmed
reports that Iran had raised its crude oil prices to
$28.50 a barrel. [NYT]
Dec. 18: OPEC Oil Ministers continued meetings in Ca-
racas but were unable to reach a consensus on prices.
[NYTI
Dec. 20: The OPEC ministerial conference ended with-
out agreement on a uniform pricing structure. Vene-
zuelan Energy Minister Humberto Calder6n Berti
said that each nation would be "free to set its own
price." [NYT]
Dec. 30: Kuwayt announced it was raising its crude oil
prices by 19% to $25.50 per barrel. [NYT]
1980
Jan. 28: Saudi Arabia notified the members of the Ara-
bian American Oil Company that it had raised the
price of Arabian light crude oil to $26. [NYT]
Jan. 29: Iraq, Kuwayt and the UAA raised oil prices by
$2 per barrel. [NYT}
Feb. 3. Algeria raised the price of its oil to $34 per bar-
rel. [NYT]
Afghanistan
(Seealso, General, Pakistan, Turkey)
1979
Dec. 21: US officials said that the Soviet Union had
moved 3 army divisions to the border with Afghani-
stan and had sent about 1,500 combat soldiers to an
air base near Kabul. [NYTI
Dec. 26: A US government spokesman said that in the
past 24 hours there has been "a large-scale Soviet air-
lift" to Kabul, raising Soviet military involvement in
Afghanistan to "a new threshold." [NYT]
Dec. 27: Fighting broke out in Kabul and President
Hafizullah Amin was overthrown and executed.
Former Deputy Premier Babrak Karmal assumed the
post of President. [NYT]
It was reported that Soviet troops had taken part in
the fighting in Kabul. [NYT]
Dec. 28: President Karmal said the Soviet Union had
agreed to supply Afghanistan "urgent political, moral
and economic aid, including military aid." [NYT]
US President Jimmy Carter called the Soviet mili-
tary intervention "a grave threat to the peace" and a
"blatant violation of accepted rules of international
behavior." [NYT)
A Cabinet was formed as follows:
Babrak Karmal: Premier, Chairman of the Revolution-
ary Counciland SecretaryGeneralof the Central Com-
mittee
Asadollah Sarwari:Deputy Premier
Soltan Ali Keshtmand: Deputy Premierand Planning
Mohammad Rafia: National Defense
Said Mohammad Gulabzoi: Interior
Shah Mohammad Dost: Foreign
Dr. Anahita: Education
Abdol Wakil: Finance
Sherjan Mazdur Yar: Transport
Faiz Mohammad: Borders& Tribes
Mohammad Khan Jalala: Trade [FBIS)
Dec. 29.' The US said that the number of Soviet combat
troops in Afghanistan had reached "roughly 2 5,000 to
30,000." [NYT]
Dec. 30: Qatar and the UAA issued statements con-
demning "Soviet military intervention" in Afghani-
stan. [NYT]
Dec. 31.' Heavy fighting broke out in Kabul during the
night but ended by morning. [NYT]
Egypt condemned "the Soviet attempt to impose a
Marxist regime" on Afghanistan. [NYT]
1980
Jan. 1: Afghanistan said it had invited Soviet troops into
the country "in view of the present aggressive actions
of the enemies of Afghanistan." [NYT)
Jan. 2: Karmal addressed government leaders near Ka-
bul and called on the Afghan people to "come togeth-
er and support our glorious revolution." [NYT}
The New York Times cited "West European diplo-
matic sources" as saying that Soviet troops were en-
countering sharp resistance from Afghan insurgents
in Bamian Province. [NYT)
Afghan students occupied the Afghan Embassy in
 CHRONOLOGY
New Delhi for 4 hours in "a symbolic protest" and
then withdrew. [NYT]
Jan. 3: A UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan
was called for by 43 nations. [NYT)
The Soviet press agency Tass accused Carter of
having been "wicked and malicious"when he referred
to the Soviet military intervention of Afghanistan as
an "invasion". [NYT}
Jan. 5: The Security Council opened debate on Afghan-
istan. Pakistan and Egypt condemned the Soviet in-
tervention there. [NYT}
Jan. 6: About 65 Afghan residents in Tehran took over
the Afghan Embassy for 5 hours to protest the pres-
ence of the "bloody Russian army" in Afghanistan.
[NYT]
A UN spokesman said that an average of 1,000 ref-
ugees per day had fled from Afghanistan to Pakistan
in the last 2 weeks of December. [NYT]
Iraqi President Saddam Husayn said the Soviet in-
tervention in Afghanistan was "an erroneous and un-
justified act." [NYT)
Jan. 7: The Soviet Union vetoed a UN resolution that
called for the immediate withdrawal of "all foreign
troops in Afghanistan." The vote was 13 to 2 in favor
of the resolution. [NYT}
The US said the Soviet Union had raised its troop
strength in Afghanistan to as many as 85,000 in "con-
temptuous rejection" of the demands of world lead-
ers. [NYT)
The Soviet Communist Party newspaper Pravda
said Pakistan was not acting in its own interest in al-
lowing Afghan insurgents to use its territory as a
"base for the preparation of imperialist aggression"
against Afghanistan. [NYT]
Jan. 9: The Security Council voted by 12 to 2 with 1
abstention for a resolution to move the issue of Af-
ghanistan to the General Assembly. [NYT)
Jan. 10: The Cabinet was expanded:
Mohammad Aslam Watanjar:Communications
Abdol Majid: Information & Culture
Abdorrashid Arian:Justice
Mohammad Esmail Danesh: Mines & Industries
Raz Mohammad Paktin: Water & Power
Gol Dad: Higher Education
Nazer Mohammad: Public Works
Mohammad Ebrahim Azim: Public Health
Fazl Rahim Mohamand: Agriculture & Land Reform
[FBIS]
Jan. 1i1:Karmal said at a news conference in Kabul that
the estimates of the Soviet presence in Afghanistan
were exaggerated by the US "propagandisticliar ma-
chinery." [NYT]
The Soviet Union said it had acted in Afghanistan
to repel "armed intervention from outside." [NYT]
More than 800 Afghans awaiting release of prison-
ers stormed a jail and allowed some prisoners to es-
cape. One Afghan soldier and 1 civilian were killed in
the riot. [NYT]
The British Foreign Office said that the British Am-
bassador to Afghanistan had been recalled "for con-
sultation." [NYT]
165
Jan. 14: The General Assembly voted by 104 to 18 with
18 abstentions for a resolution which "strongly de-
plored" the "recent armed intervention" in Afghani-
stan and called for the "total withdrawal of foreign
troops" from the country. [NYT)
Spanish Premier Adolfo Suirez met with Carter in
Washington. Later a US statement said the 2 leaders
had agreed that the Soviet action in Afghanistan was
"amost serious threat to international peace." [NYT)
Jan. 15: Tass said that the General Assembly resolution
constituted "clear intervention" in Afghanistan's af-
fairs. [NYTI
Jan. 16: British Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington met
with Indian Premier Indira Gandhi in India on the
situation in Afghanistan. Later Gandhi said that she
did not think that "any country" was "justified in en-
tering another country." [NYT]
Tass quoted a high Afghan official as saying that
evidence of former President Amin's recruitment by
the CIA "mounts from day to day." [NYT]
Jan. 17: The government ordered all American news
correspondents to leave the country, accusing them
of biased reporting and "interference in the country's
internal affairs."[NYT)
Jan. 19: Journalists with US passports were expelled
from the country. They had been under house arrest
for 2 days. [NYT)
Jan. 27: A conference of Islamic Foreign Ministers
opened in Islamabad to consider the situation in Af-
ghanistan. [NYT}
Jan. 29: The conference in Islamabad adopted a resolu-
tion which: condemned "the Soviet military aggres-
sion against the Afghan people"; demanded the
"unconditional withdrawal of all Soviet troops"; sus-
pended the membership of Afghanistan in the Organ-
ization of the Islamic Conference, urged support for
the Afghan people and called upon members to "en-
visage" the nonparticipation in the Olympic Games.
[NYT}
Feb. 4.' The New York Times reported that Soviet tanks
had reinforced Afghan army units around Spinbaldak,
near the Pakistani border. [NYT)
Iranian Ayat Allah RuIh Allah Khumayni con-
demned the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan and
pledged "unconditional support" for Muslim insur-
gents in Afghanistan. [NYT)
The New York Times reported that the Soviet
Union had announced the start of operations at a new
naturalgas field atJarquduq, in northern Afghanistan.
[NYT)
Feb. 13: Egyptian Defense Minister Kamal Hasan 'Ali
said that Egypt was providing assistance to Afghan
rebels and was "training some of them." [NYT)
Feb. 14: The UN Human Rights Commission voted by
27 to 8 with 6 abstentions to condemn the Soviet in-
tervention in Afghanistan as "an aggression against
human rights." [NYT)
Feb. 15: The New York Times cited "White House offi-
cials" as saying the US had begun an operation to sup-
ply light infantry weapons to Afghan insurgent
groups. [NYT)
166 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
Algeria
(Seealso, Petroleum Affairs, Iran, Iraq)
1979
Nov. 22: Iraqi President Saddam Husayn met with Pres-
ident Chadli Benjedid in Algiers. [FBIS)
Dec. 6: President Benjedid returned to Algiers from
Monrovia, Liberia, after attending a meeting of the
Organization of African Unity. [FBISJ
Dec. 16: Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso ar-
rived in Algeria on a 3 day visit. [FBIS]
1980
Jan. 15: The following appointments were announced:
Boualem Benhamouda: Interior
Brahim Brahimi: Irrigation [FBIS]
Feb. 4: Venezuelan President Luis Herrera Campins ar- 1980
rived in Algiers and was met by Benjedid. [FBISI
Tunisian Information and Culture Minister Fouad Jan. 5: Vice President Husni Mubarak arrived in Pe-
Mbazaa arrived in Algiers for discussions on bilateral
relations. [NYT]
Bahrayn
(Seealso, General, Saudi Arabia)
1980
Jan. 13: Jordanian King Husayn arrived in Manama and
met with Amir Shaykh 'Isa bin Salman Al Khalifah. Jan. 20. The New York Times reported that the US had
[FBIS]
Jan. 23: UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim arrived
in Manama and met with Amir Shaykh 'Isa. [FBIS]
Feb. 7: Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Fitouri ar- Jan. 23: Romanian Premier Ilie Verdet met with Presi-
rived in Bahrayn for a visit. The recent incidents in
Gafsa were to be discussed. [FBISJ
Feb. 9: Irish President Patrick Hillery met with Amir
Shaykh 'Isa in Manama. [FBIS]
Cyprus
(Seealso, Arab Israeli Conflict)
1979
Nov. 20: The UN General Assembly voted by 99 to 5
with 35 abstentions to adopt a resolution calling for
the resumption of peace talks on Cyprus and the es-
tablishment of a 7 nation committee to aid in the ne-
gotiations if necessary. [AN]
Dec. 4: President of the "Turkish Federated State of Cy-
prus" Rauf Denktas, arrived in Ankara for talks with
Turkish leaders. [TDN]
Dec. 9: President Spyros Kyprianou arrived in Athens
for talks with Greek leaders. [NYTI
Dec. 15: The UN Security Council voted unanimously
to renew the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force
in Cyprus for 6 months. [MEED]
Egypt
(Seealso, Arab Israeli Conflict, Afghanistan, Oman)
1979
Nov. 19: President Anwar al-Sddat led a prayer ceremo-
ny at the foot of Mount Sinai to mark the second an-
niversary of his trip to Jerusalem. [NYT)
Al Akhbar reported that Muhammad Anwar had
been named Ambassador to the Soviet Union.
[NYT]
king for 5 days of talks with Chinese leaders. [AN]
Jan. 8: The New York Times reported that the US and
Egypt had undertaken joint air exercises "in recent
weeks." [NYT]
Middle East News Agency cited Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs Butrus Ghali as saying the new Am-
bassador to Moscow would remain in Cairo for con-
sultations. [FBIS]
Jan. 9: Israeli Premier Menahem Begin toured the
temples of Luxor. [NYT}
Jan 12. Egypt asked the Soviet Union to reduce the
number of its diplomats in Cairo. [FBIS]
informed Egypt it would ask Congress to approve an
additional $1.1 billion in military credits over 2 years.
[NYT]
dent Sadat and Premier Mustafa Khalil. [FBIS]
Feb. 13: US Chief Delegate to the UN Donald
McHenry arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian of-
ficials. [FBIS}
Iran
(Seealso, General, Petroleum Affairs, Afghanistan,
Kuwayt, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia)
1979
Nov. 16: A spokesman for the students holding US hos-
tages in Tehran said that the hostages would be in
"more difficult conditions" if deposed Shah
Muhammad Rizi Pahlav. left the US for any country
other than Iran. [NYT]
Petroleum Minister 'Ali Akbar Mu'infar denied
that Iran would no longer accept US dollars as pay-
 CHRONOLOGY
ment for oil. Later Finance Minister and Acting For-
eign Minister Abillhasan Bani Sadr issued a denial of
the denial and said Iran had been refusing dollar pay-
ments for 3 days. [NYTI
Nov. 17.' Ayat Allih Rdh Allih Khumayni ordered that
female and black hostages be released if they had not
committed "acts of espionage." [NYT]
Nov. 18: Ayat Allah Khumayni said that if the situation
became "prolonged", Iran would "put the hostages on
trial." [NYTI
Nov. 19: A female and 2 black hostages were released
and flown to West Germany. [NYT]
The US demanded that all the remaining hostages
be released and said if any were tried on espionage
charges it would be "a further flagrant violation" of
human rights and international law. [NYTI
Nov. 20: Four female and 6 black hostages were released
and flown to West Germany. [NYT}
The Ayat Allah said that if the US did not hand
over the deposed Shah it was "possible that the hos-
tages may be tried." [NYT]
The US warned that although it was seeking "a
peaceful solution" to the crisis in Iran there were
"other remedies" available that were "explicitly rec-
ognized in the Charter of the United Nations."
[NYT}
US officials said a naval task force, including an air-
craft carrier, had been ordered into the Indian Ocean
to join a second force. [NYT]
Nov. 21: The UN offered a proposal to enable Iran to
state its position at the UN. Under the proposal, the
Security Council would convene a meeting on the
crisis after the hostages were released and Secretary
General Kurt Waldheim would appoint a group of in-
ternational legal experts to examine Iranian charges
against the Shah. [NYT]
Sudents holding the US Embassy in Tehran said
that "all hostages would be destroyed" if the US used
military force in Iran. [NYT]
Millions of people took part in religious and politi-
cal demonstrations in Tehran on the first day of Mu-
harram. [NYT]
The US said Iran would be held "strictly account-
able" for the safety of the hostages. [NYT]
Nov. 22. Five non-American hostages were released
from the US Embassy. [NYT]
Foreign Ministers of 21 European nations jointly
appealed to Iran to release the US hostages. [NYT]
The New York Times reported that Iran had de-
faulted on a $500m loan issued by a syndicate of
banks. [NYT]
Bank Melli Iran said that Iran had "no intention" of
repudiating "its international financial obligations."
[NYT]
Nov. 23: US President Jimmy Carter said that the con-
sequences for harm to any of the hostages would be
"extremely grave." [NYT]
Finance Minister and Acting Foreign Minister Ban!
Sadr declared that all foreign debts were repudiated.
Later he said he meant that commercial bank loans
obtained abroad would not be honored. [NYT]
167
US Secretary of Defense Harold Brown ordered
that flight training of Iranian pilots and navigators in
the US be halted, but allowed ground training to con-
tinue. [NYT]
Nov. 25: UN Secretary General Waldheim requested an
"urgent meeting" of the Security Council to deal with
the crisis in Iran. [NYT]
US Congressional Representative George Hansen
entered the US Embassy in Tehran and was allowed
to meet with hostages there. [NYT]
State radio announced that Bani Sadr would go to
the UN in New York the next day. [NYT}
The Pars News Agency reported that Petroleum
Minister Mu'infar had said that any country which
was "hostile" to Iran would "face an oil boycott" and
that the US dollar should be dropped as the currency
for oil transactions. [NYT]
Nov. 26: Revolutionary Council member Sadiq
Qutabzidah said Iran had asked the UN to delay the
Security Council meeting for a week.
[NYT)
Mu'infar said that daily oil production would be
cut for "conservation purposes" starting January 1.
[NYTI
A gallstone was removed from the Shah in New
York. [NYT]
Iran said it had found records of nearly $800m in
loans to members of the Shah's family and their asso-
ciates by 12 commercial banks. [NYT]
Nov. 27: The Ayat Allah said Iran did not "agree" with
the Security Council meeting because the outcome of
the meeting had been "predetermined" by the US.
[NYT]
The Security Council received written con-
firmation that Bani Sadr was scheduled to arrive in
New York on December 1 to lead the Iranian delega-
tion at the Security Council meeting. [NYT]
The Security Council renewed an appeal for the re-
lease of the hostages. [NYT]
The New York Times cited Iranian bank documents
as indicating that more than $6m was transferred out
of Iran by members of the Shah's family and put into
secret numbered bank accounts abroad. [NYT}
Nov. 28: Bani Sadr was dismissed as Acting Foreign
Minister but remained Finance Minister. [NYT]
Revolutionary Council member Qutabzadah was
named Foreign Minister. [NYT]
An earthquake destroyed 5 villages in northeastern
Iran. [NYT]
The US aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk joined the car-
rier Midway on station in the Arabian Sea. [NYT]
The US aircraftcarrier Forrestalsailed for the Med-
iterranean. [NYT]
Nov. 29: The US asked the International Court of Jus-
tice (ICJ) to order Iran to release the hostages.
[NYT]
Mexico announced it would not allow the Shah to
return. [NYT]
Iran filed suit in New York against the Shah and his
wife, asking $56.5 billion in damages and the creation
of a trust to assume control of their assets. [NYT]
168 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
Nov. 30: Foreign Minister Qutabzadah announced that
Iran would not attend the Security Council meeting.
[NYTI
Qutabzadah said that US Charge d'Affaires Bruce
Laingen and 2 other Embassy officials held at the For-
eign Ministry were not hostages and could leave Iran,
although providing "security" to the airport would be
"rather difficult." [NYT]
Dec. 1: The UN received written word from Iran that it
would boycott the Security Council meeting. [NYT]
Students holding the Embassy released a document
which they said proved that 2 of the hostages worked
for the CIA. [NYT}
Dec. 2: Voters went to the polls to accept an Islamic
Constitution. [NYT}
The US announced that the Shah would be allowed
to have temporary sanctuary at an Air Force hospital
in Texas "for humanitarian reasons." [NYT]
The Shah flew to San Antonio and entered a hospi-
tal at Lackland Air Force Base. [NYT]
Dec. 3. The polls closed at the end of 2 days of balloting
on the Constitution. [NYTI
Dec. 4: The Security Council voted by 15 to O in favor of
a resolution "urgently" calling on Iran to release the
hostages and requesting the Secretary General to
"lend his good offices" for the implementation of the
resolution. [NYT]
Qutabzadah said that the hostages would be tried
as spies by their student captors. [NYT]
A US White House spokesman said that the hos-
tages had been "threatened with execution" if they
did not "cooperate" with their captors. [NYT]
Dec. 5: A crowd protesting against Ayat AllIh
Sharriatmadariclashed in Qum with a group of Azer-
baijanis who had come on a pilgrimage to see him. An
Azerbaijani was killed. Later the crowd marched to
Ayat Allah Shari-atmadari'shouse where one of his
guards was killed. [NYT]
Waldheim said the initial Iranian response to the
Security Council resolution had been "rather posi-
tive." [NYT]
The Soviet Communist Party newspaper Pravda
said that the US was trying to "blackmail Iran by
massing forces on its frontiers." [NYTJ
Dec. 6: Demonstrators in Qum marched on the head-
quarters of the Ayat Allah protesting the attack on
the house of Ayat Allah Sharratmadarithe night be-
fore. [NYT]
The Ayat Allah met with Ayat Allah Sharr-at-
madari in Qum and in a broadcast later "con-
demned" the incidents of the day before and de-
manded that such "plots" not be repeated. [NYT]
Supporters of Ayat Allah Shari-atmadarioccupied
the governor's mansion and broadcasting stations in
Tabriz. Local military units endorsed the takeovers.
The actions were led by the Muslim People's Party.
[NYT]
A Kurdish Democratic Party spokesman said that 6
military helicopters had bombed 3 villages near Re-
zaiyeh. [NYT]
Students holding the Embassy released documents
indicating that a US Embassy official had carried a
false Belgian passport. [NYT)
Dec. 7: A delegation from the Ayat Allih met with Ayat
Allah Shari-atmadiri in Qum on the situation in Ta-
briz. [NYT]
Thousands of people demonstrated in Tabriz in
support of Ayat Allah Shar-iatmadari.[NYT]
Mustafa Shafiq, nephew of the Shah, was assassi-
nated in Paris. Ayat Allah Sadiq Khalkhgli took re-
sponsibility for the killing and said the assassin was a
member of the Islamic Fida'iyin. [NYT]
US President Carter said the US would "take steps
to interrupt commerce with Iran"if the hostages were
put on trial. [NYT]
An earthquake struck in eastern Iran, destroying 3
villages. [NYT]
The Shah was quoted in excerpts from his memoirs
as saying the US had helped overthrow him in Janu-
ary, 1979, by sending a US general "with the clear
purpose" of neutralizing the IranianArmy so it would
not fight on the r6gime's behalf. [NYT]
Dec. 8: Supporters of the Ayat Allah demonstrated in
Tabriz. [NYT)
Ayat Allah Shari'atmadar!said that agreements he
had made with revolutionary leaders were being bro-
ken and warned that if the situation continued he
"would not be responsible" for what happened in
Azerbaijan. [NYT]
Supporters of Ayat Allah Sharratmadariin Tabriz
prevented the provincial governor from regaining
control of the statehouse. [NYT}
Two planes that reportedly carried government
troops were prevented from landing at Tabriz.
[NYT)
Qutabzadah said Iran would form a board to "re-
view the dossier of crimes" by the US in Iran. [NYT]
Dec. 9. The Ayat Allah denounced the events in Tabriz
as "rebellion against the rule of Islam." [NYT]
Students and militiamen loyal to the Ayat Allah re-
captured the television station in Tabriz. Later they
were driven out again by supporters of Ayat Allah
Shari'atmadari.Three people were killed. [NYT]
Dec. 10. Ayat Allah Shar'atmadari said there was "no
need for the founders to dissolve" the Muslim
People's Party. [NYT]
Bani Sadr arrived in Tabriz to negotiate with Azer-
baijanis challenging the central government. He said
he would not negotiate directly with the Muslim
People's Party. [NYT]
The US asked the ICJ to take "the quickest pos-
sible action" to insure release of the hostages. No Ira-
nians appeared at the hearings. [NYT]
The US said it would regard the "parading"of US
hostages before an Iranian appointed international
tribunal with the same gravity as it would a trial.
[NYT]
One of the hostages was interviewed by US televi-
sion and said that his captors had "reallybeen good to
us." [NYT]
A reporter of the AssociatedPress was ordered ex-
pelled from Iran. [NYT]
 CHRONOLOGY
A high US official charged that Japan had "gone
overboard" to help Iran cope with a US freeze on Ira-
nian assets when Japanese oil companies had rushed
"with unseemly haste" to buy Iranian oil that had
once been earmarked for the US. (NYT}
Dec. 11: Ayat Allah Shari'atmadiri said he had not
voted in the constitutional referendum and said the
Constitution contained "an important fault" that was
"contradictory to national sovereignty." [NYTI
Supporters of the government clashed with Azer-
baijanis in Tabriz. [NYT]
Dec. 12: The US ordered Iran to reduce its Embassy
staff to 15 persons and its personnel at 4 consulates to
a total of 20 people. [NYT)
Tehran newspapers circulated a letter purported to
have been written by US Senator Edward Kennedy in
support of the Ayat Allah. Kennedy said the letter
was a "total fabrication." [NYTI
Dec. 13: The Ayat AIlah said that an "independent inter-
national delegation" could be invited to visit the hos-
tages to counter US "propaganda".[NYT}
A government team that was negotiating with
Kurdish forces in Mehabad ended the negotiations
and left for Kermanshah. [NYTI
Thousands of Azerbaijanis marched through Tabriz
in support of Ayat Allah SharT-atmadari and against
the Islamic Constitution. [NYT)
Japanese Premier Masayoshi Ohira ordered a
reexamination of policies regarding purchase of oil
from Iran. [NYT]
Dec. 14: The state-run radio announced that Iraq had
invaded Iranian territory. Later it said the invaders
had retreated back to Iraq. Iranian officials professed
ignorance of any invasion. [NYT]
The Japanese government decided to reduce pur-
chases of Iranian oil to the level in effect when the US
Embassy was seized. [NYT]
Dec. 15. In a unanimous opinion granting provisional
relief pending a final order, the ICJ ordered Iran to
release the American hostages immediately. [NYT]
The Shah flew to Panama and helicoptered to the
island of Contadora. [NYT]
A spokesman for the student captors said that "spy
trials" of the hostages would "definitely begin."
[NYT]
Baghdad radio said that Iranian allegations of an
Iraqi invasion were "hallucinations" that were in-
tended to divert attention from internal unrest.
[NYT]
The Pars News Agency said that Iran was recalling its
Ambassadors from France, West Germany and the
Scandinavian countries for consultations. [NYT}
Dec. 16: Demonstrators marched in Tehran to denounce
"imperialist and Zionist" distortions in foreign press
coverage. [NYT]
Dec. 17: The General Assembly adopted without dissent
a code to outlaw the taking of hostages. [NYT]
The Ayat Allah said that the student captors were
expressing the will of the people. [NYT)
Two correspondents of Time magazine in Tehran
were ordered expelled from Iran. [NYT)
169
Iraq demanded that Iran release 16 Iraqi teachers
seized a week earlier in Khurramshahr. [NYT]
Dec. 18: Hujjat al-Islam Muhammad Mufatah and his 2
bodyguardswere assassinatedin Tehran.[NYT]
Dec. 19: The student captors announced that the Am-
bassador to the Scandinavian countries, former Depu-
ty Premier 'Abbas Amir Intizam, had been
implicated by US Embassy documents of having col-
laborated with the US, and that he had been arrested.
[NYT]
An oil pipeline near Dizful was blown up. [NYT]
Dec. 20: Baluchi tribesmen clashed with Persians in the
town of Zahidan. At least 3 people died. [NYT]
Waldheim said that the Revolutionary Council had
met in Qum and that he had been told the Council
was making "important decisions" on the hostages.
[NYT]
Dec. 21: The Ayat Allah ordered that arrangements be
made to have foreign clergymen visit the hostages at
Christmas. [NYT]
Five men were executed in Meshed. [NYT]
Dec. 22: A state of emergency in Baluchistan was de-
clared in Zahidan. [NYT]
Carter accused Iran of "arrogant defiance" of the
world community and said the US would ask the
Security Council to impose "international economic
sanctions" on Iran. [NYT]
Dec. 24: Three US clergymen and the Roman Catholic
Archbishop of Algiers began meeting with the hos-
tages in Tehran. [NYT]
Dec. 25: The 4 clergymen continued to meet with the
hostages. Later they said they had met with 43 hos-
tages who appeared to be "in good physical condi-
tion." [NYT]
Dec. 26: The US said it believed Iran was holding 50
hostages. [NYT]
Dec. 27: Religious leader Sarkan Aqa 'Abd al-Riza
Ibrahimi and a companion were assassinated in Ker-
man. [NYT]
Revolutionary guads attacked the headquarters of
the Muslim People's Party in Tabriz. [NYT]
Qutabzadah told reporters that "the students"
would decide the fate of the hostages. [NYT]
Dec. 28: Gunfire in Tabriz continued during the night.
Later revolutionary guards attempted to chase follow-
ers of Ayat Allaih Shari'atmadairifrom a rally. Nine
revolutionary guards were taken hostage by the
crowd and held in the Muslim People's Party head-
quarters. [NYT]
PanamanianPresident Aristides Royo said that Iran
had told Panama it would request extradition of the
Shah. [NYT]
Dec. 29.' Qutabzadah said there were no longer any
plans to hold a "grand jury" into alleged US "crimes"
and acts of the Shaih. [NYT]
The Pars News Agency said that 3 former officials
under the Shah had been executed in Ahwaz. [NYT]
Dec. 30: The Ayat Allah said he would not see Wald-
heim and did not "trust" him. [NYT]
The Governor of East Azerbaijan, Niur al-Din
Gharavi, met with Ayat Allah Shari'atmadariin Qum
170 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
on the Tabriz hostages. [NYT}
Captors of the hostages in Tabriz said the hostages
would be freed after the release of local people who
had been arrested in disturbances 2 weeks before.
[NYT]
Dec. 31: The Security Council voted by 11 to 0 with 4
abstentions to pass a resolution deploring the deten-
tion of the hostages, calling for their release and re-
questing the Secretary General to lend his good Jan. 6: Tehran radio reported that 43 people had been
offices towards a solution of the problem. The Coun-
cil decided to meet on January 7 to review the situa-
tion. [NYT}
Following a request by Ayat Allah Shari'atmadari
for the release of the Tabriz hostages, the captors
agreed in principle for the release after conditions Jan. 7: Waldheim told the Security Council that "at
were met. [NYT)
Three US television networks broadcast excerpts
of an Iranian film showing 4 of the hostages criticizing
the deposed Shah and the US. [NYT]
1980
Jan. 1: About 2,000 Iranians and Afghans demonstrated Jan. 9: Revolutionary guards fired on supporters of
at the Soviet Embassy to protest the Soviet inter-
vention in Afghanistan. Revolutionary guards pre-
vented the demonstrators from occupying the
Embassy. [NYT}
Waldheim arrived in Tehran for meetings with Ira-
nian officials. [NYT]
The Interior Ministry said that the results of the
referendum on the Constitution were: 15,785,956
yes, 78,516 no, with 111 votes void. [NYT]
Jan. 2. Waldheim met with Qutabzadah in Tehran.
[NYT]
The captors said they would not meet with Wald-
heim. [NYT]
Qutabzadah said that a plot against Waldheim had
been discovered and thwarted. [NYT]
A 48 hour ceasefire was imposed in Sanandaj,
where Kurdish guerrillas and revolutionary guards
had battled during the night. [NYT]
Jan. 3: Waldheim met with the Revolutionary Council. Jan. 12: Waldheim asked Iran for "clarification of the
A spokesman said Waldheim would not meet with the
Ayat Allah. [NYT]
Mourners at a cemetery rushed Waldheim's car in
Tehran. [NYT]
Afghan residents in Tehran tried to storm the So-
viet Embassy but were turned back by revolutionary
guards. [NYT]
An agreement was reached in Sanandaj to enable
forces supporting the Ayat Allah to pull out of the Jan. 13: The Soviet Union vetoed a Security Council
city. [NYT]
Jan. 4: The student captors demanded that US Charge
d'Affaires Laingen be brought to the US Embassy.
[NYT]
Clashes between followers of the Ayat Allah and
Ayat Allah Sharr'atmadari took place in Qum. Jan. 14: The Revolutionary Council announced that all
[NYT]
Insurgents in Tabriz occupied the government ra-
dio station. [NYT]
Jan. 5: A spokesman said that revolutionary guards had
surrounded Ayat Allah Shar-iatmadari'sresidence in
Qum. (NYT]
Ayat Allah Shari'atmadari said that if the Muslim
People's Party continued to operate it would "not be
approved by me at all." [NYT]
Qutabzadah asked the Ayat Allah to decide wheth-
er to turn Laingen over to the student captors. [NYT}
killed in clashes between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims in
Lingeh. [NYT]
Street fighting between supporters of the Ayat
Allah and Ayat Allah Shari-atmadariin Tabriz left 1
person dead and hundreds injured. [NYT)
present" Iran was "not prepared to respond" to the
UN call for the release of the hostages. [NYTI
Acting Governor of Kurdistan Husayn Shahvaysi
resigned and joined demonstrators in Sanandaj who
were demanding for the withdrawal of revolutionary
guards from the city. [NYT)
Four soldiers and revolutionary guardsmen were
killed in ambushes near Zahidan. [NYT}
Ayat Allah Shari'atmadariduring a demonstration in
Tabriz. At least 10 people died. [NYT}
Revolutionary Council member Ayat Allah
Muhammad Bahashti said there was "some move-
ment" concerning the hostage situation. [NYT]
The International Committee of the Red Cross
published previously secret reports which found a
"notable improvement in most of the prisons" in Iran.
The present government had published earlier re-
ports by the committee. [NYT]
Jan. 10: The headquarters of the revolutionary guards
said that the leader of the Furqan Fighters and 15 of
his followers had been captured in Tehran 2 days be-
fore. [NYT]
Jan. 11: Shooting broke out in Tabriz. [NYTI
A Security Council vote on a proposed resolution
concerning Iran was postponed after Iran conveyed a
new proposal to Waldheim. [NYT]
proposal." [NYT]
Revolutionary guards captured the headquarters of
the Muslim People's Party in Tabriz. Four people
died in the fighting. [NYT]
Authorities in Tabriz tried and executed 11 men
captured earlier in the day. [NYT]
Iran asked Panama to arrest the Shah for extra-
diction to Iran. [NYT]
resolution that proposed economic sanctions on Iran.
The vote was 10 to 2 with 2 abstentions in favor of
the resolution. [NYT]
All foreign journalists were banned from Tabriz.
[NYT]
journalists working for US news organizations would
be expelled from Iran. [NYT]
The US accused the Soviet Union of vetoing the
 CHRONOLOGY
Security Council resolution because it had "designs
on Iran." [NYT)
The Soviet Union said it had vetoed the resolution
on Iran because it would have "dealt a blow to the
Iranian revolution." [NYT}
Iran warned that relations with UN member states
would be jeopardized if they joined in economic
sanctions against Iran. [NYT]
Jan. 15: Jalil al-Din Farsi withdrew as a candidate for Feb. 2: Fighting continued in the Kurdish regions. The
the presidency. [NYT)
US journalists were ordered to leave Iran by Janu-
ary 18. [NYT)
jan. 17: Bani Sadr said the Soviet Union wanted Iran
"divided" so that it could push to the Indian Ocean. Feb.3: The student captors called off a planned march of
[NYT]
jan. 19: The director of the Tabriz jail said that 25
members of the air force had been arrested by author-
ities in Tabriz on charges of plotting a coup. [NYT}
The Ayat Allah ruled that anyone who had not
voted for the Islamic Constitution could not run for
the presidency. [NYT]
The New York Times cited western diplomats as
saying Iran had moved troop reinforcements towards
the Afghan border. [NYT)
jan. 20: It was announced that the Ayat Allah was pre-
pared to examine an amendment to the Constitution
which would allow Sunni Muslims to have their own
courts in certain parts of the country. [NYTI
Jan. 21: An Iranian jetliner crashed northeast of Teh-
ran, killing all 124 people on board. [NYT]
Jan. 23: The Ayat Allah entered a hospital for a heart
ailment. [MEED]
Qutabzadah said that the President of Panama had
told him the Shah was under arrest. [NYT}
Panama said it had informed Iran that the Shah was
"under the care" of Panamanian security forces but
was not under arrest. [NYT]
Jan. 24: The Ayat Allah urged Iranians to vote in the Feb.8: Melkite Archbishop Hilarion Capucci visited the
presidential elections. He said his physical condition
was "not bad." [NYT}
Jan. 25: Voters went to the polls to elect a new Presi- Feb. 9: Fighting between Turkomans and revolutionary
dent. [FBIS]
Jan. 28: It was announced that Ban! Sadr had been
elected President with 75.7% of the vote. [NYT]
The US affirmed that it was ready to cooperate with
Iran "towarda solution of the present crisis." [NYT]
Canada closed its Embassy in Tehran. [NYT]
Jan. 29: US and Canadian officials disclosed that 6
Americans who had escaped from the US Embassy
when the hostages were taken, had flown out of Iran Feb. 11: The Ayat AllIh said Iran would struggle against
over the weekend posing as Canadian diplomats. The
6 had been hiding in diplomatic residences since es-
caping from the US Embassy. [NYT]
At a conference of Islamic nations in Islamabad a
resolution called on Iran and the US to "resolve the
outstanding problems between themselves by peace-
ful means" and opposed "imposition of economic
sanctions" against Iran. [NYT)
Jan. 30: Qutabzadah said that "sooner or later, some-
where in the world, Canada will pay" for having got-
ten the US diplomats out of Iran. [NYT]
171
Fighting broke out in Kurdish areas in Iran. [NYT}
Jan. 31: Revolutionary guards clashed with Kurdish
guerrillas in a second day of fighting in the Kurdistan
and Khurramshahrprovinces. [NYT)
In a broadcast in Arabic, Iranian radio announced
plans to create a "pioneering force of young men"
that would help "export the Islamic revolution."
[NYT]
clashes between revolutionary guards and Kurdish
guerrillas centered on Kamyaran and Paveh. [NYT]
The student captors called for a mass demonstra-
tion of solidarity on February 4. [NYT)
solidarity in Tehran. [NYT}
Kurdish sources said that government forces had
regained control of Kamyaran. [NYT)
Feb. 4: The Ayat Allah installed Ban! Sadr as President.
The televised ceremony took place in the hospital in
which the Ayat Allih was convalescing. [NYT)
Feb. 6: Ban! Sadr denounced the student captors as
"children"who behaved "like a government within a
government." [NYT)
The student captors denounced Information Minis-
ter Nasir Minatchi for alleged contacts with the US.
[NYTI
Revolutionary guards arrested Information Minis-
ter Minatchi. [NYT]
The Revolutionary Council announced that parlia-
mentary elections would be held March 7. [NYT]
Panamanian Foreign Minister Carlos Ozores said
the Shah "definitely" could not leave Panamanianter-
ritory. [NYT]
Feb. 7: Minatchi was released on the orders of the Revo-
lutionary Council. [NYT)
Ban! Sadr was made head of the Revolutionary
Council [NYT]
hostages with Hujjat al-Islim Ah.mad Khumayni.
[NYT]
guards in Gunbad-i-Qawus left 12 people dead.
[NYTI
Feb. 10: A group of 49 Americans met with the student
captors in Tehran but did not meet with the hostages.
[NYT]
Bani Sadr criticized the students for inviting the
US group without consulting the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. [NYT]
the US until "all economic, military, political and cul-
tural dependence' was broken. Then "ordinary rela-
tions" could be established. [NYT]
Bani $adr said the hostages might be released "per-
haps even in the next few days" if the US admitted
the "crimes"it had committed in Iran, pledged "never
again to interfere in our affairs"and recognized "our
right to obtain the extradition" of the Shah. [NYT]
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader
Yasir 'Arafatarrived in Tehran and met with the Ayat
Allah at a Tehran hospital. [FBIS]
172 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
Feb. 12: The Ayat Allih appealed for unity in upcoming
parliamentary elections. [NYT)
The Revolutionary Council announced that the
parliamentary elections would be postponed to
March 14. [NYT]
Feb. 13: Carter said that an international commission
with "a carefully defined purpose" would be a "step
toward resolution" of the hostage situation. [NYT)
Revolutionary Council member Ayat Allah
Bahashti said Iran wanted to resolve the crisis "as
soon as possible." [NYT)
Mu'infar said that Iran had reduced exports of nat-
ural gas to the Soviet Union by 85% in order to in-
crease supply for domestic consumption. [NYT]
Feb. 14: Ban! Sadr said that if the US met certain condi-
tions, the hostages might be released in "48 hours."
[NYT]
PLO leader 'Arafat left Tehran at the end of a 3 day
visit. [NYT)
Iraq
(Seealso, General, Petroleum Affairs, Afghanistan,
Algeria, Iran, Morocco, Tunisia)
1979
Nov. 17: Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda con-
cluded a 4 day visit to Iraq and departed Baghdad.
[FBIS]
Nov. 18: Greek Premier ConstantineKaramanlismet
with President Saddam Husayn in Baghdad. [FBIS]
Nov. 23: PresidentHusaynreturnedto Iraqat the end
of a 1 day visit to Algeria.[MEED]
Nov. 29: Two gunmen opened fire on a crowd in Kar-
bala, killing 2 people and wounding 16. [FBIS]
Dec. 5: It was announced that Iraq would withdraw its
Ambassador to Bulgaria and recall all Iraqi students as
a result of a recent killing of an Iraqi student in Bul-
garia. [FBISJ
Dec. 16: Four men were executed in Baghdad for ac-
cepting bribes and divulging classified information to
foreign companies. [FBIS]
Dec. 19: Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere met with
Husayn in Baghdad on bilateral relations. [FBIS]
1980
Jan. 2: Djibouti President Hasan Gouled arrivedin
Baghdad and met with Husayn. [FBIS]
Jan. 5: Iraq and Brazil signed an agreement in Baghdad
concerning cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear
energy. Under terms of the agreement Brazil would
sell uranium, equipment and engineering services to
Iraq. [MEES]
Jan. 28: Jordanian Premier al-Sharif 'Abd al-Hamid
Sharaf met with Husayn in Baghdad. [FBIS]
Feb. 11: Moroccan King Hasan arrived in Baghdad and
met with Husayn on bilateral relations. [FBIS]
Feb. 13: Venezuelan President Luis Herrera Campins
arrived in Baghdad on a 2 day visit to Iraq and was
met by Husayn. [FBIS}
Israel
(Seealso, Arab Israeli Conflict, Egypt, Lebanon,
Turkey)
1979
Nov. 16: Former President Rahel Ben-Zvi died, aged
93. UP]
Nov. 20. Finance Minister Yigael Hurwitz announced
economic measures designed to brake inflation.
[NYT)
The price of some basic food items went up by as
much as 100%. [NYT)
Dec. 17: The Knesset passed on first reading an amend-
ment that would repeal a section of an abortion law.
Premier Menahem Begin made the vote a vote of
confidence. The vote was 58 to 53. [NYTI
Dec. 25: The Knesset voted by 55 to 50 to abrogate leg-
islation that permitted abortion for certain economic
reasons. [NYT]
Dec. 28: Defense Minister Ezer Weizman met with US
President Jimmy Carter in Washington. The talks
concerned a possible increase in US economic and
military aid to Israel. [NYT]
Dec. 31: US officials announced that the White House
would seek $200m in additional military sales credits
for Israel. Israeli Finance Minister Hurwitz said the
sum would "not answer our needs." [NYT)
1980
Jan. 2: The government defeated 4 motions of no con-
fidence brought over the decision to delay evacuation
of the Elon Moreh settlement on the occupied West
Bank. [NYT]
Jan. 6: Former Justice Minister Dov Joseph died in Tel
Aviv, aged 80. [NYT]
Jan. 15: The Central Statistics Bureau reported that
consumer prices had risen by 111.4% during 1979.
[NYT)
Jan. 27: Workers' committees called out 100,000 work-
ers in a 24 hour strike to protest government policies
dealing with inflation. [NYT)
Feb. 1: A court convicted the former mayor of a suburb
of Tel Aviv for responsibility in the death of a man at
a road barrier illegally erected in Bnei Braq on the
Jewish Sabbath in 1977. [NYT]
Feb. 11: Premier Begin said that Israel would deal with
the problems of US black Hebrews in Israel "and
they will be citizens of this country." An aide to Begin
said this was meant to be understood "on the humani-
tarian level." [NYT]

Jordan
(Seealso, Arab Israeli Conflict, Bahrayn, Iraq, Kuwayt,
Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria)
1979
Nov. 22: King Husayn returned to Amman after attend-
ing the summit conference in Tunis. [FBIS)
Dec. 19: Premier Mudar Badran resigned his post.
[FBIS]
King Husayn issued a decree appointing a new
Cabinet:
al-Sharif 'Abd al-Hamid Sharaf: Premier,Foreign Af- Jan. 13: Jordanian King Husayn arrived in Kuwayt and
fairs and Defense
Qasim al-Raymiwi: Agriculture
Najib Irshaydit:Justice
'Umar al-Nibulsi: Laborand Reconstruction& Develop-
ment
Silim al-Musi'adah: Finance
Ma'an AbuaNuwwair:Public Works
Muhammad Ntiri Shafiq: Education
Muhammad 'Adduibal-Zabin: Communications
Hasan Ibrihim: State
Kamil al-Sharif: Awqdf and Islamic Affairs & Holy
Places
Marwin al-QIsim: State for ForeignAffairs
Sulayman 'Arir: State for Premier'sAffairs
'Ali al-Suhaymat:Transportand Statefor Premier'sAf-
fairs
Sa'id al-Tall:Information
'Ali al-Bashjr:Interior
Zuhayr Malhas: Health
Jamal al-Sha ir: Municipal & Rural Affairs
Muwaffaq al-Fawwiz: Tourism & Antiquities
Tihir Hikmat: Culture & Youth
In'm al-Mufti: Social Development
Jawid al-'Anlni: Supplies
'Ali al-Nusuir:Industry & Trade [FBIS)
1980
Jan. 15: King Husayn returned to Jordan at the end of a
4 day tour of Arab Gulf nations. [FBIS}
Jan. 24: Premier Sharaf returned to Amman at the end
of a 2 day visit to Syria. [FBIS]
Feb. 12: Spanish Premier Adolfo Suarez arrived in Am-
man and met with King Husayn. [FBIS)
Kuwayt
(Seealso, General, Petroleum Affairs, Saudi Arabia)
1979
Nov. 24: Amir Shaykh Jibir al-Ahmad Al $abih said a
committee of experts would be formed to amend the
Constitution. [AN]
CHRONOLOGY 173
Nov. 27: US Treasury Secretary William Miller arrived
in Kuwayt and met with Amir Shaykh Jabir. [FBIS}
Nov. 30: Several thousand Kuwaytis and Iranians dem-
onstrated at the US Embassy in Kuwayt City. The
demonstrators were dispersed. [NYT}
Dec. 9: Sierra Leone President Siaka Stevens met with
Shaykh Jabir. [FBIS]
Dec. 10: Finance Minister'Abd al-Rahmin al-'Atiqi said
in an interview that a US decision to freeze Iranian
assets had "implications of a most dangerous and seri-
ous kind." [MEES]
1980
met with Shaykh Jabir. [FBIS)
Feb. 3: Premier Shaykh Sa'd al-'Abdallih Al $abah re-
turned to Kuwayt after more than 2 months of medi-
cal treatment in London. [FBIS}
Feb.9: The Defense Ministry said that the Soviet Union
had recently delivered advanced surface-to-surface
missiles to Kuwayt. [NYT]
Venezuelan President Luis Herrera Campins ar-
rived in Kuwayt and met with Shaykh Jabir. [FBIS]
Feb. 100: US Chief Delegate to the UN Donald
McHenry arrived in Kuwayt for talks with Kuwayti
officials. [FBIS}
Lebanon
(Seealso, Arab Israeli Conflict, General)
1979
Nov. 22: A summit conference of the Arab League
ended in Tunis. A request from Lebanon calling for
the withdrawalof Palestinian guerrillas from southern
Lebanon was rejected. The conference pledged to
give $2 billion to Lebanon over the next 5 years.
[NYT}
Dec. 10: Lebanon closed its airspace to Iranian planes in
order to prevent Iranian "volunteers" from entering
the country to fight against Israel alongside Palestini-
an guerrillas. [NYT}
Dec. 17: Fijian Premier Kamisese Mara met with Presi-
dent Ilyis Sarkis. The talks concerned the Fijian
participationin the United Nations Interim Forces in
Lebanon (UNIFIL). [FBIS}
Dec. 18: President Sarkis ordered security forces to take
measures to bar Iranian volunteers from entering the
country to fight Israel. [NYT}
Dec. 19: A group of Iranian volunteers arrived in Da-
mascus, hoping to make its way to Lebanon. It was the
second such group to arrive in Syria. [NYT)
174 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
Dec. 20: Syria was reported to have given Sarkis assur-
ances that the Iranian volunteers would not be al-
lowed to enter Lebanon. [NYT)
1980
Jan. 18: A gunman hijacked a Lebanese jetliner en route
to Cyprus, protesting against the disappearance in
1978 of Imam Musa $adr, a Shi'a leader. The hijacker
surrendered after the plane landed in Beirut. [NYTI
Jan. 19. Israeli forces and Lebanese Christian militia-
men shelled the Lebanese village of Tibnin. [NYT}
Jan. 28: A Lebanese protesting the disappearance in
1978 of Imam Musai adr hijacked a jetliner en route
to Beirut. He surrendered in Beirut. [NYT)
Jan. 29: The state radio said that Israeli and Lebanese
Christian gunners had shelled the southern outskirts
of Tyre during the day, causing heavy damage.
[NYT}
Jan. 31: Three armed Lebanese were arrested at the
Beirut airport as they tried to board a commercial air-
liner. [NYT}
Feb 4: Syria announced it was pulling its peacekeeping
troops out of Beirut. [NYT)
Premier Salim al-HIus met with Syrian President
Hifiz al-Asad in Damascus and said later it had been
agreed that the Syrian withdrawal from Beirut would
be delayed "a few days." [NYT)
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Ya-
sir 'Arafat met with Syrian Foreign Minister 'Abd al-
Halim Khaddam in Damascus on the withdrawal of
Syrian troops from Lebanon. [NYT}
Feb. 5: Syrian President Asad said he would wait "some
time" before pulling Syrian troops out of Lebanon.
[NYT}
Feb.6: The government said it would deploy units of the
Lebanese Army at truce supervisory positions when
Syriawithdrew its troops. The National Front, a coali-
tion of Muslim militia forces, opposed the govern-
ment's decision. [NYT)
Feb. 7: Israeli Premier Menahem Begin said that Israel
would come to the aid of "Christiansin the south and
in the north of Lebanon" if they were in danger and
would not "under any circumstances" allow them to
be "compromised". [NYT)
Feb.8: Two persons were wounded by snipers in central
Beirut. [NYT)
One person was killed in Nabatiyah during a shell-
ing. [NYT)
Feb. 11. Four Lebanese Christians were killed in their
homes near the border with Israel. Mortar fire was
traded between Christian militiamen and Palestinian
guerrillas as a result. [NYT)
Feb. 13. Premier Hu4 arrived in Damascus and met
with Syrian Premier 'Abd al-Ra'if al-Kasm on the
Lebanese situation. [FBIS)
Phalanges Party member Edmund Rizq, a member
of Parliament, was abducted in Beirut. [NYT)
Hus. met with Asad in Syria and returned to Leba-
non. [FBIS]
Fighting broke out in Beirut at an army barracks
near the airport. [NYT)
Feb. 14: Rival Christian militias battled in north Leba-
non. [NYT)
Member of Parliament Rizq reappeared unharmed.
[NYT)
Libya
(Seealso, General, Petroleum Affairs, Tunisia)
1979
Nov. 24: Yemeni President 'Ali 'AbdallIh $ilih left
Tripoli at the end of a 2 day visit to Libya. [AN]
Nov. 29: Head of State Mu'ammar al-Qadhdhifi called
upon the Palestinian "masses"to form "revolutionary
committees" and create a new leadership in Libya.
[NYT)
Dec. 1: Mauritanian Premier Mohamed Khouna Ould
Heydalla arrived in Tripoli for talks on bilateral rela-
tions. [FBIS]
Dec. 2: About 2,000 demonstrators stormed the US Em-
bassy in Tripoli and heavily damaged the building.
The Embassy personnel escaped without injury.
[NYT)
The US lodged "the strongest possible protest"
over the "inadequate and unresponsive" actions of
Libyan security forces. [NYT)
Dec. 3: The US rejected a Libyan expression of regret
over the attack and said that future relations with
Libya were "under active review." [NYT)
Dec. 5: The US announced it was "suspending normal
operations" at its Embassy in Tripoli. [NYT)
Dec. 9: The New York Times reported that the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) had appealed to Head
of State Qadhdhafi to end a siege of PLO offices in
Tripoli and to stop interfering in the internal affairsof
the guerrilla movement. [NYT)
Dec. 10: Qadhdh5fi said Libya wanted "to intensify our
dialogue" with the US. [NYT)
Dec. 16: Libya closed the PLO office in Benghazi and
ordered the expulsion of 3 PLO leaders. [FBIS]
1980
Jan. 6: The General People's Congress ended a confer-
ence in Tripoli. [AN]
Jan. 11: Middle East EconomicDigest reported that the
following new Secretaries had been named to the
General People's Committee during the meeting of
the General People's Congress:
'Abd al-Salkn Zaq'ar: Petroleum
Muhammad MahmiudHija2zi:Information
 CHRONOLOGY
al-BukhMriSalim Hawdah: Communicationsand Ma-
rine Transport
'Abd al-Hifiz Zlitni: Education
Muhammad al-Duwayk: Municipalities [MEED}
Feb. 4: Demonstrators attacked the French Embassy in
Tripoli, causing extensive damage. The French Am-
bassador said he felt there was a "close link" between
the attack and recent "problems in Tunisia." [NYT)
Feb. 5: France recalled its Ambassador and diplomatic
staff from Libya and ordered a similar number of Lib-
yan diplomats to leave France to protest the attack on
the French Embassy in Tripoli. [NYT)
Feb. 6: Venezuelan President Luis Herrera Campins ar-
rived in Benghazi and met with Qadhdhafi. [FBIS]
Morocco
(Seealso, Arab Israeli Conflict, General, Iraq, Saudi
Arabia)
1979
Dec. 5: The Organization of African Unity ended a
meeting in Monrovia, Liberia, and called on Morocco
to withdraw its troops from Western Sahara. It rec-
ommended that a peacekeeping force be set up to
monitor a cease fire in the disputed territory. [NYT]
1980
Jan. 25: Arab News reported that the US had announced
it would sell 50 military aircraftto Morocco. [AN]
Feb.12: King Hasan arrived in Marrakeshat the end of a
visit to Saudi Arabia and Iraq. [FBIS)
Oman
(Seealso, General, Petroleum Affairs)
1979
Dec. 14: 'Asim al-Jamili was named Minister of Public
Works. [FBIS]
1980
Jan. 3: Egyptian Vice President Husni Mubirak arrived
in Muscat and met with Sultan Qabuis bin Sa'id.
[FBIS}
Jan. 10: British Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington ar-
rived in Muscat on a 3 day visit for talks with Omani
officials. [FBIS]
Jan. 14: Jordanian King Husayn arrived in Oman and
was met by Sultan Qibfis. [FBIS]
175
Jan. 19: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Qays al-
Mun'im al-Zawawi denied reports that Oman would
offer military bases on its territory to the US. [FBIS)
Feb. 7: Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Fitouri ar-
rived in Muscat for talks. [FBIS)
Pakistan
(Seealso, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab
Amirates)
1979
Nov. 21: Hundreds of demonstrators stormed and set
fire to the US Embassy in Islamabad,killing 1 US Ma-
rine. Pakistani troops rescued about 100 people
trapped in the Embassy chancery. [NYT]
Demonstrators set fire to the US cultural centers in
Rawalpindi and Lahore. A British cultural center in
Rawalpindi was burned. [NYT)
The AssociatedPresscited a leader of the attackers as
saying he had believed US citizens had been respon-
sible for the attack on the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
[NYT)
Nov. 22: The bodies of a second American and 2 Paki-
stanis were found at the Embassy. [NYT]
The New York Times reported that 2 of the demon-
strators had also died in the attack. [NYT}
Iranian Ayat AllIh RuihAllah Khumayni called the
attack on the US Embassy in Islamabad "a great joy
for us." [NYT)
Nov. 24: Secretary of Information Mujib ur-Rahman de-
plored the attack on the US Embassy as "un-Islamic"
and said that President Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq had
ordered the Embassy rebuilt "at the maximum
speed." [NYT)
Nov. 28: The government announced that it had
amended the penal code to permit imprisonment of
journalists who published "defamatory material."
[NYT)
Nov. 29: A Pakistani correspondent of the Far Eastern
EconomicReviewwas sentenced to 1 year of hard labor
for writing an article concerning unrest in Baluchi-
stan. [NYT)
Dec. 2: Students demanding compensation for the fam-
ily of a student killed in the US Embassy in Islamabad
the month before clashed with the police in Rawal-
pindi. [NYT)
Dec. 11: A member of the Hyderabad City Council was
arrested for leading a demonstration of support for
executed former Premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. [NYT)
Dec. 16: Djibouti President Hasan Gouled arrived in Is-
lamabad on a 5 day visit to Pakistan. [FBIS)
Dec. 26: President Zia-ul-Haq returned to Islamabad at
the end of a 2 day visit to Saudi Arabia. [FBIS)
Dec. 28: Foreign Affairs Adviser Agha Shahi returned to
Islamabad after a 2 day visit to Iran. [FBIS)
176 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
1980
Jan. 4: US President Jimmy Carter said the US would
provide military equipment and other assistance to
help Pakistan "defend its independence and its na-
tional security" against the "seriously increased
threat" from the north. [NYT]
Jan. 12: Zia-ul-Haq met with tribal chiefs at Saidu in the
northwest frontier region and said the borders of the
Soviet Union had been effectively extended to the
Khyber Pass. [NYT}
Foreign Affairs Adviser Shahi met with US Presi-
dent Carter and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in
Washington on US aid and commitments to Pakistan.
[NYT]
Jan. 13. US officials said the US had offered Pakistan a
tentative economic and military aid package of about
$400m. [NYT]
Jan. 15: British Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington met
with Zia-ul-Haq in Rawalpindi. [FBIS)
Jan 16.' Lord Carrington visited the border with Afghan-
istan and said that Britain would do its best "to in-
sure that Pakistan remains an independent country."
[NYT)
Jan. 17: Zia-ul-Haq said that the size of the offer of US
aid was "peanuts". [NYT]
jan. 18: Chinese Foreign Minister Huang Hua arrived
in Islamabad for talks on the Soviet intervention in
Afghanistan. [NYT]
Jan. 23: UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim left Is-
lamabad after meeting with Zia-ul-Haq. [FBIS}
Jan. 24: The European Economic Community said it
would give more than $20m to Pakistan to aid refu-
gees from Afghanistan. [NYT)
Feb. 1: US national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski
arrived in Islamabad for talks with Pakistani leaders.
[NYT)
Feb.2: US national security adviser Brzezinski met with
Zia-ul-Haq. Zia-ul-Haq said that the US was "giving
us the impression of finding a lost Asian ally." [NYT]
Feb. 3" Zia-ul-Haq said that the talks with US officials
had given "new life" to a 1959 US security accord
with Pakistan. [NYT]
Feb. 5: Indian Foreign Secretary R. D. Sathe met with
Zia-ul-Haq and Shahi during a trip to Pakistan.
[FBIS}
Feb. 7: Indian Foreign Minister Sathe returned to India
and said his discussions with Pakistani leaders had
been "friendly, cordial, frank and useful." [NYT]
Qatar
(Seealso, General, Petroleum Affairs, Afghanistan, Saudi
Arabia)
1980
Jan. 14: Jordanian King Husayn arrived in Doha and
met with Amir Shaykh Khalifah bin Hamad Al
Thini. [FBIS)
Feb. 10: Venezuelan President Luis Herrera Campins
met with Amir Shaykh Khalifah in Doha. [FBIS]
SaudiArabia
(Seealso, Arab Israeli Conflict, General, Petroleum
Affairs, Morocco, Pakistan, Sudan, United Arab
Amirates, Yemen)
1979
Nov. 20: Muslim gunmen seized the Grand Mosque in
Mecca and took hostages. [NYT)
Nov. 21: Tehran DomesticServicequoted a statement is-
sued by Ayat Allah Ruih Allih Khumayni which said
it was "not farfetched" to assume the attack on the
Great Mosque in Mecca had been "perpetrated by the
criminal American imperialism." [FBIS}
Nov. 22: The government said that the occupation of the
Grand Mosque by Muslim fundamentalists was con-
tinuing in Mecca. [NYT]
Interior Minister Prince Nayif said that neither the
US nor Iran was in any way responsible for the attack
on the Grand Mosque. [NYT)
The New York Times cited sources in the Interior
Ministry as confirming that an attempt to take over
the Prophet's Mosque in Medina had taken place 2
days earlier. [NYT)
Nov. 23: A government official said that security forces
were in "complete control within all areas" of the
Grand Mosque. [NYT]
Nov. 24: US Treasury Secretary William Miller met with
King Khalid in Saudi Arabia. [FBIS]
US Treasury Secretary Miller said that Saudi lead-
ers were "very upset" because they felt that the low
Saudi oil prices had "not gone to the benefit of con-
sumers" but had instead been "raked off by the oil
companies." [NYT)
Iranian Ayat AllIh Khumayni charged that the US
"and its corrupt colony, Israel" were "attempting to
occupy" the Grand Mosque in Mecca and called on
Muslims to "rise up and defend Islam." [NYT}
Nov. 26: Information Minister Muhammad Abdui
Yamani said that soldiers had cornered the last of the
gunmen in the basement of the Grand Mosque.
[NYT)
Bahrayni Amir Shaykh 'Isa bin Salman Al Khalifah
and Kuwayti Amir Shaykh Jabir al-Ahmad Al $abah
arrived in Riyadh and were met by King Khalid.
[FBIS]
A Pakistani airliner crashed near Jidda, killing all
156 people aboard. Most of the passengers were
Muslim pilgrims. [NYT)
 CHRONOLOGY 177

Nov. 27: Qatari Amir Shaykh Khalifah bin Hamad Al

ThMniarrived in Riyadh and was met by King Khalid.
[FBIS]
Nov. 28: Clashes in Sayhat between Shi'a workers and
the National Guard left 5 people dead. [MEED)
Jordanian King Husayn arrived in Riyadh and was
met by King Khalid. [FBIS]
Nov. 30: Interior Minister Prince Nayif said that some
of the gunmen at the Grand Mosque were still hold-
ing out in tunnels under the building. [NYT)
Dec. 4: Prince Nayif announced that the last of the at-
tackers of the Grand Mosque had been captured.
[AN]
Dec. 6: King Khalid reopened the Grand Mosque for
prayers. [NYT)
Dec. 24: Pakistani President Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq ar-
rived in Riyadh on a 3 day visit to Saudi Arabia and
met with King Khalid. [FBIS]
Dec. 31: Riyadh Domestic Service announced that King
Khilid had accepted the resignation of the Governor
of Mecca District, Prince Fawwaz bin 'Abd al-'Aziz.
[FBIS)
South Yemen
(Seealso, Yemen)
1979
Nov. 16: Chairmanof the East GermanState Council
ErichHoneckerandChairmanof the Presidium'Abd
al-FattahIsma'ilspoke beforea rallyinJa'ar.[FBIS]
Nov. 17: A treaty of friendshipand cooperationwith
EastGermanywassignedin SouthYemen.[MEED]
Nov. 29: EthiopianChairmanMengistuHaile Mariam
arrivedin Aden and conferredwith Chairmanof the
PresidiumIsmi'il. [FBIS]
1980
Jan. 31: Aden News Agency reported that an agreement
with Yemen to unify telephone tariffsand reduce
postal charges between the 2 countries had been
made.[MEED]

1980 Sudan
Jan. 1: The Saudi PressAgencyreported that King Khilid
had ordered the retirement of the commander of the
air force and the commander of the public security
forces. [NYT) 1979
Jan. 8: Prince Nayif said that 127 Saudi soldiers had been
killed as a result of the siege at the Grand Mosque. Dec.3: PresidentJa'faral-Numayrlleft Sudanfor Mon-
In addition, 75 gunmen had been killed and 27 rovia,Liberia,to participatein a meeting of the Or-
others had died of wounds suffered in the siege. [AN) ganizationof AfricanUnity. [FBIS]
Jan. 9: A total of 63 people were executed in 8 cities for Dec.30: SudanandUgandaagreedto restorediplomatic
their part in the attack on the Grand Mosque. An In- relations.[AN)
terior Ministry statement said that 28 people had
been acquitted and that a number of others had been
sentenced to prison reformatories. [NYT) 1980
Jan. 12: Jordanian King Husayn arrived in Riyadh and
Jan. 10: SaudiArabianPetroleumMinisterAhmadZaki
met with King Kh.lid. [FBIS]
Yamninmet with PresidentNumayriin Sudanon en-
jan. 13: British Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington ar-
rived in Riyadh for talks with Saudi officials. [FBIS]
ergy cooperation.[FBIS)
Feb.4: Numayriissued a decree dissolvingparliament
Jan. 26: Syrian President Hifi? al-Asad arrived in
and the regionallegislativeassemblyof south Sudan.
Riyadh and met with King Khalid on bilateral rela-
tions. [FBIS)
[AN]
Feb. 3: Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky met with
Crown Prince Fahd in Riyadh. [FBIS]
Feb.4: US national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski
arrived in Riyadh and met with Crown Prince Fahd.
Syria
[FBIS)
Feb. 5: The New York Times cited US officials in the (Seealso,General,Lebanon)
Brzezinski mission as saying Saudi leaders had said
they were willing to consider closer military 1979
cooperation in the Gulf region. [NYT)
Feb. 7: Moroccan King Hasan arrived at al-Tiaif and was Nov. 22: SyrianPresident i1fi4al-Asadreturned to
met by King Khilid. [FBIS) Syriaafter attendinga summitconferencein Tunis.
Feb. 11: Venezuelan President Luis Herrera Campins [FBIS)
arrived in Riyadh for meetings with Saudi officials. Nov. 25: Gunmentried to assassinatethe governorof
[FBIS] Hama.Two of the gunmen and 2 membersof the
178 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL
security forces were killed in a clash. [MEED)
Dec. 27: Delegate to the UN Hlammuidal-Shfifi re-
signed his post and said that "repression" in Syria was
"impossible". [NYT)
1980
Jan. 15: A new Cabinet was formed:
'Abd al-Ra'if al-Kasm: Premier
'Abd al-HialimKhaddam: Deputy Premierand Foreign
Affairs
Walid Hamdan: Deputy Premierfor ServicesAffairs
'Abd al-Qadir Qadduirah:Deputy Premierfor Economic
Affairs
Mustaf1aTalas: Defense
Ahmad Iskandar Ahmad: Information
Nasir al-Din Niair: Interior
Muhammad Ghabbash: Supply & Internal Trade
'Adnan Dabbagh: LocalAdministration
Muhammad Najib al-Sayyid Ahmad: Education
'Abd al-Karim 'Adi: State for ForeignAffairs
As'ad Darqawi: Higher Education
'Umar al-Sibi'i: State
Anwar Hamadah: State for Cabinet Affairs
Ahmad 'Umar Yasuf: Electricity
Najib al-'Attar: Culture
MuharramTayyarah: Transport
Yusuf Ju'ayd6ni:State for LaborAffairs
Salim Yasin: State for Planning Affairs
Muhammad al-Atrash: Economy& Foreign Trade
Nayif Ta'ini: State
'Abd al-Jabbaral-Dah,hak:Oil & Natural Resources
Husayn al-Q(di: Industry
Hamdi al-Saqqa:Finance
Faruq al-Shar':State for ForeignAffairs
Nawras al-Daqr: Housing & Utilities
Khalid al-Maliki:Justice
Hamdi Musawkar:Agriculture & Agrarian Reform
Yahya al-Khiyir: Euphrates Dam
Mikhayil Naqqul: State
Ra'fat al-Kurdi: Communications
Ahmad Salim Darwish: State
Nayif Jarbiu':Public Works& Water Resources
Muhammad Muhammad al-Khapib:Awqdf
Jurj Radwan: State [FBIS)
Jan. 23.' Jordanian Premier al-Sharif 'Abd al-Hamid
Sharaf arrived in Damascus for talks on bilateral rela-
tions. [FBIS}
Jan. 27: Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Gro-
myko arrived in Damascus and met with Foreign Af-
fairs Minister Khaddam. [FBIS]
Jan. 29: A bomb exploded at the Syrian Embassy in
Paris, killing 1 person and injuring 8 others. [NYT]
Khaddam arrived in Paris and met with French For-
eign Minister Jean Fran,ois-Poncet. [NYT]
Feb. 2: A Sunni religious leader and another person
were assassinated by 3 gunmen while leading prayers
in a mosque in Aleppo. [NYT]
Tunisia
(Seealso, Algeria, Bahrayn, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya,
Oman, Syria, United Arab Amirates)
1979
Nov. 17: A conference of Arab Foreign Ministers ended
in Tunis. The meetings were in preparation for a sum-
mit conference. [AN)
Nov. 20: A summit conference of Arab League countries
opened in Tunis. Iraqi President $addam Husayn de-
livered the opening address. {NYT}
1980
Jan. 14: Two Arabs seeking the release of 25 political
prisoners in Tunisia hijacked an Italian jetliner on its
way to Tunis. The plane landed in Palermo and 21
passengers were freed. [NYT}
Jan. 28: About 20 people were killed when raiders at-
tacked the town of Gafsa. The raiders were reported
to have been Tunisian migrant workers who had
come from Libya. [NYT)
Jan. 30: Premier Hedi Nouira announced that Tunisia
had decided to recall its Ambassador to Libya and ex-
pel the Libyan Ambassador to Tunisia as a result of
the attack on Gafsa. [FBIS]
Jan. 31: Tunisian forces, backed by French warships and
military supplies, continued "mopping-up" opera-
tions in Gafsa. [NYT)
Turkey
(Seealso, Cyprus)
1979
Nov. 19: Premier Suleyman Demirel presented the pro-
gram of his government to the National Assembly.
[NYT)
Nov. 20: An Istanbul University professor was found
murdered. The university was closed as a result.
[NYT)
Nov. 22: About 2,000 Muslims demonstrated outside
the residence of the US Consul General at Izmir, but
were dispersed by security forces. [NYT]
Nov. 25: The new government of Premier Demirel won
a vote of confidence in the National Assembly. The
vote was 229 to 208. [AN)
Nov. 28: Roman Catholic Pope John Paul II arrived in
Ankara and was met by President Fahri Koruturk and
Demirel. [NYT)
Nov. 29: Pope John Paul II urged the expansion of links
 CHRONOLOGY 179

between Islam and Christianity in the service of "so- Jan. 30: It was announced that security forces had
cial justice, moral values, peace and freedom." caught 103 members of 2 terrorist groups in raids in
[NYT} Izmir, Istanbul and other cities. [TDN)
The Pope flew to Istanbul and met with Eastern Or- Feb. 6: Gunmen shot and wounded the Turkish Am-
thodox Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I for talks on bassador to Switzerland in Bern. An Armenian group
relations between the 2 faiths. [NYT) claimed responsibility. Three men were detained for
Nov. 30: Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I questioning. [NYT]
and the Pope pledged in Istanbul to "hasten the day Feb. 11: Clashes between demonstrators and police took
of full communion between the Catholic Church and place in Izmir. [NYT]
the Orthodox Church." [NYT} Feb. 13: The Istanbul MartialLaw Command announced
The Pope flew to Izmir and later addressed Chris- the arrest of the alleged assassins of the 4 Americans.
tians in Ephesus. Thereafter he returned to Rome. A total of 56 arrests were announced of which 52
[NYT) were members of the Marxist-LeninistUnion. [NYT}
Dec. 14: Four Americans were assassinated in Istanbul as Feb. 14: Troops stormed the Tari?spinning mill in Izmir
they were returning home from a NATO installation and arrested more than 1,500 people who had been
near the city. [NYT) occupying the building. [TDN}
Dec. 15: The Turkish People's Liberation Front-Marxist Feb. 15: Chief of the General StaffEvren demanded that
Leninist Armed Propaganda Union claimed responsi- "more authority" be given to martial law commanders
bility for the killing of the 4 Americans. [NYT} to fight terrorism. [NYT]
Dec. 19: Parliament voted to continue martial law in 19 "Leftist"militants clashed with security forces in Iz-
provinces for 2 months. [NYT} mir. [NYT)
Dec. 20: The lira was devalued against 9 European cur-
rencies and the Kuwayti dinar. [TDN)
Dec. 22: A press attache at the Turkish Embassy in
France was assassinated in Paris. An Armenian group
claimed responsibility. [NYT]
Dec. 23: A Turkish airliner carrying 43 people crashed
near Ankara. There were 4 survivors. [NYT]
Dec. 24: Demonstrations in Ankara resulted in 4 deaths.
Two people died in clashes in Istanbul. A total of al-
most 4,000 people were arrested in the 2 cities.
[NYT}
Dec. 26: Political violence in Ankara left 5 people dead.
[NYT)
Dec. 27: The Martial Law Commander announced that
certain reports on security matters broadcast over
state radio and television would be censored. [NYT) United ArabAmirates
(Seea/so, General, Petroleum Affairs, Afghanistan)
1980
Jan. 2: Chief of the General Staff Kenan Evren and oth- 1979
er military commanders issued a "warning to the po-
litical parties" that the nation must unite to combat Nov. 23: President Shaykh Zayid bin Sultan Al
"anarchy,terrorism and separatism." [NYT) Nuhayyan returned to Abu Dhabi after participating
Gunmen assassinated the director of the Istanbul in a summit conference in Tunis. [FBIS]
office of El Al, the Israeli airline. [NYT) Nov. 26: US Treasury Secretary William Miller arrived
Jan. 3: About 50 people tried to attack the Soviet Con- in Abui Dhabi and met with Vice President and Pre-
sulate in Istanbul to protest Soviet intervention in Af- mier Shaykh Rishid bin Sa'id Al Maktum. [FBIS]
ghanistan. [NYT) Dec. 22: President Shaykh Zayid returned to Abui
Jan. 9: Turkish Daily News reported that British For- Dhabi at the end of a short visit to Saudi Arabia.
eign Secretary Lord Carrington had arrived in Ankara [FBIS]
for talks on the situation in Afghanistan. [TDN} Dec. 23: Shaykh Zayid left Abui Dhabi on a private visit
Jan. 10: Turkey and the US initialed a defense to Pakistan. [FBIS]
cooperation agreement that would regulate the status
of US installations in Turkey and define the scope of 1980
US military aid to Turkey. [TDN)
Jan. 22: Security forces and workers clashed at the TariE Feb. 7: Shaykh Ziyid returned to the UAA after a pri-
thread factories. [TDN) vate visit to Pakistan. [FBIS)
jan. 24: The lira was devalued by 33-35% against all Feb. 8: Venezuelan President Luis Herrera Campins ar-
currencies. [MEED) rived in Abu Dhabi for talks on oil matters. [FBISJ
180 THE MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL

Yemen Dec. 20: Djibouti President Hasan Gouled arrived in

(Seealso, General, Libya, South Yemen)
1979
Nov. 21: Premier 'Abd al-'Aziz 'Abd al-Ghani arrived in
London for talks on economic cooperation. [MEED]
Dec. 1: Premier 'Abd al-Ghani left Britain on a com-
mercial airliner after his own jet was impounded in
London in a legal dispute with a British airline. UP)
Dec. 6: Yemen recalled its Ambassador to London for
consultations following the impounding of the air-
craft. [MEED)
San on a 3 day visit to Yemen. (FBISJ
Dec. 30: Foreign Minister Hasan al-Makki received So-
viet Deputy Minister of Justice Aleksandr Sukharev
in Yemen. [FBIS]
1980
Jan. 16: 'Abd al-Ghani returned to SanT' at the end of a
visit to Saudi Arabia. [FBIS)
Feb. 3: South Yemeni Justice Minister Khilid Fadil
Mangir left San'i' for Aden at the end of talks on
unification of Yemen and South Yemen. [FBIS]

Fromthe Arab BackgroundSeries-

The Origins and Development of Shi'a Islam

S. H. M. Jafri, American University of Beirut

.. LONGMANINC. College Division

:W dSfArM EKE 19W 44th St. N.Y, N.Y. 10036 (212) 764-3950 (780802)

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