The overall exemptions liritiis dicument are mill) and IMI31 ArrROVEO FOR RELEASE
DATE: SEP ?If1
Current Intelligence Weekly Summary
INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
RELEAGADLE TO FOnCIGN NATIONALS CONTINUED OONTROLjfe^uUAf
THIS MATERIAlVONTAINS INFORMATIONTHE NATIONAJjDEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANTVG OF THE ESPIONAGE LAWS,SC., THEOR REVELATION OFSWH1CH IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSOXlS PROHIBITED BY LAW.
The Current Intelligence Weekly Summary has been prepared primarily for the internal Cai of the Central Intelligence Agency. It docs not repi^ntNLCornplcie coverage of all current situations. Comments andSonclusions represent the immediate appraisal of the Office ofSturrent Intelligence.
SECRET
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY SUMMARY1
THE WEEK IN BRIEF (Information as0 ESTec)
MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENTS PaRe
Themember Syrian cabineteak one, and even if Itote of confidence at the nextof parliament in early January, Its life is likely to
i
BRIEFS
eek's delay, Marufeader of the left wing of the moderately conservative Populist party,man cabinet which is the product of considerable compromise. Consisting of second-rate politicians, the new cabinet includes rightists and leftists but leaves outof the important Nationalist party as well as the most influential leftist leaders. Many ministersto beAlawl tribal chieftain is minister of communications; the Ministry of Justice is beaded by aof Moslem law whoember of the reactionary Moslem Brotherhood; and the minister of culture's only claim to expertise is his status an an amateur poet.
Given the omissionumber ofparliamentary politicalfigures, the cabinet may notote of confidence from parliament when it meets again in early January. In any case, the cabinet's life is likely to be short.
Apparently cooperationthe Populist andparties already has broken down, lessonth after the parliamentary elections. While the cabinet includes five Populists, none but Dawalibi are men of stature in the party( and several Populist leaders refused to participate because they were not given thethey wanted. Thus the hostility which has flared up frequently9 between the Populist and Nationalist parties, as well as disagreement within the Populist partyappears to be preventing the cooperation which would be essentialonservative Syrian grouping to prevail in the face of relatively well-
ec 61
t'
WEEKLY REVIEW
f 20
Original document.
Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: