Allies to Expel Syrians From West Berlin
The United States, Britain and France will expel “a substantial number of Syrian nationals from West Berlin” as part of a coordinated drive against terrorism, the State Department announced today.
The decision, made Thursday, came a day after West Germany ousted five Syrian diplomats because of alleged Syrian involvement in a West Berlin terrorist attack.
In response, the Syrian government ordered the expulsion of three West German diplomats.
A U.S. State Department statement said “the allied Kommandatura . . . has decided to expel a substantial number of Syrian nationals from Berlin.
“These individuals, if encountered in the western sectors of the city, will be expelled into the German Democratic Republic,” the formal name for East Germany.
“We believe these actions, which are separate from those taken by (the West German government) are an especially valuable example of allied cooperation in combating terrorism,” the statement said.
The official Syrian News Agency said that three unnamed German diplomats must leave Syria in a week and that the number of West German military attaches will be cut to a number equal to the number of Syrian attaches in Bonn.
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