'Britain's secret war.
OFFICIALS of the People's Front for the Liberaton o! Oman stationed at the Front's alices here m Democrat Yemen are koen to reject the idea fostered by London and Tehran that British and Iranian forces have withdrawn from Oman, after the military reversals sutfered by the From at the end of 1975.
They point out that in the province of Dholar, bordering ragod between 1965 and 1975 there are Iranian troops Heirun near the Yemeni border. and raman Phantom les at the desert air base Thamrit, less than 100 miles from the frontier.
Tranian land and naval forces are also stationed at Khasab, in BUT LEI! Oman. i position From which they mates the cursed the 26-mile wide Straits of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which oil tankers cave the Gulf, The Iranians won't leave. The only language they understand is armod strugsle Said Masaoud, Aden representative of the Front told me.
Morcover, forces present in Oman, (1,0001st he Iranians now have an infrastructure there, ready to teceive Irooms tbat could be maved in from iran itself. In a recent Newsweek interview the Shah himself confirmed that the Iranian armed forces were now capable of moving six battalions with tanks across the Gulf within a matler of two or three hours.
Nor Have the British pulled out, despite their surrender of Masirab, the island evacuated in March 1977. 200 men "acconded" from the Brit J5m armed tores, and wole 425 British mercenaries still run the 14.000-strong armed forces.
The two most powertul meo FRED HALLIDAY reports from Aden on the latest in in the country are reputed to be Major Tim Landen, a former inteligence orncer and now the Tony Ashworn, a black aropa ganda specialist from JAMES CALLAGHAN, then British Fornign Secretary visite Sultan Caboos, the dictator of Oman Foreign Office who is working in the Ministry of Information.
addressed to the iranian persoonel stationed ill Oman explaining the aims of the revolu tionary movement:
One point on which PFLO is especially insistent is on the continued support which it received and Yemen.
out by Saudi Arabia after it the establisbed diplomatic relaCROTCH gime.
Democratic
Despite rumours put Robea Ali to the UN General Assembly in October 1977, the Yemenis have underlined their apposition to the Sultan's reYemeni Foreign Minster Mohammad Salch Matich told me that the PDRY would open links to Oman only when all British and Tranian troops had against FRONT Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, cratic Front withdrawn, and when an agree. ment between the Sultan and the PFLO had been reached. Indeed far from there being a sellout Saudi bostility has recently increased — as a result of Yemen's stand on Dman, and its position on the Horn of Africa dispute. Saudi aid pro to Democratic Yemen have been cancelled, and there have been armed clashes along the Yemeni Saudi border, the PFIO is intent on developing its political struggle throughout Oman, rather chan just the military activity in Dhotar. It estimates that around 300 poliSulran's jails, some of them recently arrested in June 1973, and it accuses the Sultan of trying to wup up casuals pino side Oman over a newly conCHITECT neighbouring Ras al-Kbeimab.
PFLO is opposed to any forceful seizure of the land: it suspects that the Sultan's demand is inspired by Iranian desires so get the land for reasons of military strategy.
The PFLO has maintained tions of the apposition in the Gulf, despite the dissolution of a unified Guif political front in working towards a new united front of groups in different Arabian countries directed monarchs and sheiks of the region.
This front would include the twe underground groups Babrain (the People's Front in and the Nationn] Liberation Front), the Kuwaiti Democrats, the Labour Parly and the Democratic Party in and the seven North Yemeni groups who last August came together to form a new unified National Demo Of these the majoricy are, nationalists who radicalised in the ois a trousht there are conununists in the North Yemeni front, and the Bahraini National Liberation Front is also communist. The one significant group not so far included in this movement is the recentLy formed Saudi Arabian Com A TUNISIAN militant writes on the recent upheaval in a country where the workers have to give The PFLO is given diploma ric support by the Soviet Union, and, despite Chinese support for the Stab of Iran's campnign ALEIS 00ESE BACTE gion, PFLO claims it still has some contact with the Chinese The Front has alsa developed the Horn of Africa dispute. in the past, it had close relations Eritreans and the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party, whilst the Somali region never allowed it to carry out informa its most 'anti imperialist' phase INTO 19E TOTTER DE dECEISE Saudi Arabia PFLO officials have more visited Ethiopia and discussed with Derg members The PFLO supports the genters ims of the Ethiopian revolu tion, but insists on the right of the Eritreans to self-determination, including independence.
UNSTABLE The prospect which the Front how Faces in Oman itself is one of protracted organisational construction. In has lost the military foothold it once had in soutbern Oman, but this was never, in itself, capable of giv ing the revolutionaries tbe base they nood in the more imporpart of the coun 10.000 people of Oman live. where 650,000 out of the The overall position of the regime is an unstable one. Not only bas the Sultan failed to make even the most token ges tures of democratisation in bis seven and a half years of rule but his oil revenue has already hegun to decline from its peak ol $1.3 billion in 1976. Corruption, inequalities and resentment against foreign occupation have increased.
In this perspective, the Frant and others bostile to the Sultan and his anglo-tranian prolec tors, will have delanite poiltica oppoctunities abead.
Further information: New pebHeations on the region of interest indude: Fred Halliduy Mercenaries: Counter-Insur gency in the Gulf, Russell Pres Nottingham 95p; Helen A House Built on Sand, A Political Economy of Saudi Arabia libaca Press London, E3.50 [April]. strations in the main citles. The important strike took place in Ksar Helal, [be very town that saw the birth of the present ruling party in 1934 The textile workers aver