U.S. Reports Decline in Terrorism Worldwide : Violence: The drop comes despite Iraq’s threats to attack Western targets. Syria’s role and the fall of communism in Eastern Europe are cited.

With Iraqi President Saddam Hussein unable to make good on his threat to sponsor terrorist attacks on Americans and their property, the incidence of terrorism worldwide dropped sharply last year, the State Department reported Tuesday.

“The continuing decline in the number of international terrorist incidents during 1990 is encouraging,” the department said in its annual report to Congress. “From a peak of 856 in 1988, the number of incidents decreased to 455 in 1990.”

The demise of communism in Eastern Europe, once a haven for terrorists, was cited as one possible, partial reason for the decline. Some theorized that Syria also contributed by calling for a moratorium on terrorism.

The most dangerous region was Latin America, where 162 incidents were cited. The Middle East, a traditional terrorist heartland, recorded only 63 incidents, fewer than Asia’s 96 and Europe’s 82. No incidents were recorded in the United States or Canada last year.

“Roughly two-thirds of all anti-U.S. attacks worldwide took place in Latin America, where U.S. citizens and interests were the principal foreign targets of terrorist groups,” the report said.

The department said 1990 “was one of the few (years) in recent times in which there were no ‘spectacular’ terrorist incidents resulting in the death or injury of a large number of victims.”

The biggest news of the year was what didn’t happen. For the first time in at least five years, no Westerners were taken hostage in Lebanon. And Hussein failed to inspire an upsurge in terrorism.

Twelve Western hostages were released in 1990 or in January of this year. Eleven are still held.

“Perhaps the most significant development occurred in the wake of the Aug. 2 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait,” the department said. “A number of Palestinian groups . . . pledged their support for Saddam Hussein, and most threatened terrorist attacks against the West, Israel and moderate Arab targets in the event of war.”

But no Iraqi-backed attacks were recorded last year, and very few have occurred so far this year.

Nevertheless, the State Department returned Iraq to its list of nations that sponsor terrorism. Others include Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea and Syria.

There had been speculation that Syria would be removed from the list in appreciation for the dispatch of Syrian troops to the anti-Iraq military coalition. But the Damascus regime was retained, even though the department said there is no direct evidence of Syrian government involvement in terrorist attacks outside Lebanon since 1987.

Some officials say privately that Hussein’s inability to carry out his terrorist threats may demonstrate strong Syrian control of many terrorist groups. These officials reason that President Hafez Assad called for a moratorium on attacks on his coalition partners while Hussein was demanding action against the same targets. Assad’s orders seem to have been obeyed while Hussein’s were ignored.

The report also noted that Eastern European governments--especially the former East Germany, which merged with West Germany last year--ended their support for terrorism as a result of the political upheaval that swept the region.