Rabin Names ‘at Least’ Six Arab Nations Aiding Terrorist Organizations

Ambassador Yitzhak Rabin named “at least” six Arab countries here last night which he claimed were aiding terrorist organizations that commit atrocities such as the murder of 11 members of the Israeli Olympic squad in Munich. The Israeli envoy said “At least three Arab countries–Libya, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia” are supplying financial assistance to the terrorists and named Egypt, Syria and Lebanon as states which support the terrorists with “technical support and use of their territory.”

Rabin mads his statement to reporters after emerging from an hour-long conference with Secretary of State William P. Rogers at the latter’s invitation to discuss means to halt Arab terrorist acts. He said the responsibility of the Arab states must be brought home to them forcefully because “they encourage these very small, limited groups” to commit atrocities such as occurred at Munich.

At a press briefing later, State Department spokesman Charles Bray declined to say whether Secretary Rogers had agreed with Rabin’s statement regarding the countries allegedly aiding terrorists. Bray disclosed that the chief envoys of Morocco and Jordan were among the top ranking diplomats of 40 countries summoned to the State Department yesterday to hear the concern expressed by President Nixon over the Munich slaughter and in order to elicit from them “constructive ideas” for halting atrocities by a “very strong convention with teeth in it.”

Reporters were given to understand that official US circles here felt that “conflicting interests” were involved in the American approach to the Arab states which Rabin linked to terrorist groups. Asked by reporters if he was dissatisfied with US actions thus far, Rabin replied that “It’s only the beginning” of “a process of discussing measures to be taken.”