Abu Nidal Reported in Algeria for PLO Unity Talks

Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal, one of the world’s most wanted men, turned up in Algiers to take part in talks aimed at reuniting the PLO, Palestinian sources said Monday.

Abu Nidal was in the Algerian capital over the weekend and met with Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat’s closest aides, including deputy PLO commander Khalil Wazir, the sources said.

The sources, who were contacted by telephone in Algiers and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Abu Nidal left Algiers on Sunday for an unknown destination after several hours of talks with Wazir.

Arafat, meanwhile, formally announced the cancellation of a 1985 agreement with Jordan to pursue a joint Mideast peace plan. The agreement had been suspended by Jordan’s King Hussein a year after it was signed.

Cancellation of the accord was a precondition set by some hard-line groups for taking part in a meeting of the Palestine National Council, the PLO’s parliament-in-exile, scheduled for April 20 in Algiers.

Broke Away in 1972

The meeting between Abu Nidal and Wazir marked the first time that the fugitive terrorist had met with an Arafat supporter since 1972 when he broke with Fatah, Arafat’s main PLO faction. In 1976, Abu Nidal formed a splinter group that became known as the Revolutionary Council of Fatah.

Since then, Abu Nidal has been blamed for more than 100 terrorist attacks across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including the shooting of the Israeli envoy in London in 1982 and the near simultaneous airport raids in Rome and Vienna in 1985 that left 20 people dead.

Abu Nidal, who is backed by Libya and Syria, is considered the most radical Palestinian terrorist leader. His real name is Sabri Banna.

Abu Nidal rejects any peace negotiations with Israel and has often threatened to kill moderate Arab leaders such as King Hussein of Jordan, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and King Hassan II of Morocco.