Implementation of the American Plan… Thus the Curtain Fell on the Palestinian Presence in the Lebanese Capital.
In the four previous installments of “Documents on Arafat’s Departure from Beirut,” Al Majalla covered the beginning of U.S. envoy Philip Habib’s mediation to secure the departure of Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and his fighters from Beirut, amid Israeli bombardment of the city, Lebanese divisions, and escalating campaigns between Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and Abu Ammar. Al Majalla also published the texts of written letters exchanged between Assad and Arafat, as well as “letters of reassurance” from Bashir Gemayel, commander of the Lebanese Forces, as part of his bid for the presidency.
In the fifth and final installment of “Documents on Arafat’s Departure from Beirut,” drawing on Syrian, American, and Lebanese papers and minutes, we recount the final stage in bringing the curtain down on the presence of Arafat and his fighters in Beirut and the implementation of a carefully devised plan drawn up by Habib, which later paved the way for the strengthening of the Syrian forces’ presence in the Lebanese capital.
AFP
Palestinian fighters raise the victory sign and carry pictures of Yasser Arafat aboard a military truck as they leave Beirut for Tunisia, August 22, 1982.
After negotiations on a ceasefire in Beirut and diplomatic talks in Arab capitals and New York, the American plan took shape and its “sticking points” were resolved.
Among Syrian Foreign Minister Abdul Halim Khaddam’s papers was the text of the American plan for the “departure of the leadership, offices, and fighters of the Palestine Liberation Organization” from Beirut. It read as follows:
1 — Basic Concept: The leadership, offices, and fighters of the Palestine Liberation Organization will leave Lebanon for locations in other countries that have been arranged in advance, in accordance with the departure schedules and arrangements specified in the plan. The basic concept of this plan is consistent with the Lebanese government’s objective that all foreign military forces withdraw from Lebanon.
2 — Ceasefire: Everyone in Lebanon will fully respect a ceasefire.
3 — United Nations Observers: A group of United Nations observers will operate in the area.
4 — Guarantees: The military forces present in Lebanon, whether Lebanese, Israeli, Syrian, Palestinian, or otherwise, will in no way interfere with the safe and guaranteed departure, at the designated time, of the PLO leadership, its offices, and its fighters. Palestinian non-combatants who obey the law and remain in Beirut, including the families of those who leave, will be subject to Lebanese laws and regulations. The governments of Lebanon and the United States will provide them with appropriate guarantees of safety as follows:
— The Lebanese government will provide its guarantees based on assurances it has obtained from the armed groups with which it is in contact.
— The United States will provide its guarantees based on assurances it has obtained from the government of Israel and from the leadership of certain Lebanese groups with which it is in contact.
5 — Departure Day: This is the day on which the advance elements—the advance contingents of the multinational force in the Beirut area—are deployed, in accordance with arrangements prepared in advance between all parties concerned. It is also the day on which the first group or groups of PLO personnel begin leaving Beirut, in accordance with the attached schedule.
6 — Multinational Force: A temporary multinational force composed of units from France, Italy, and the United States will have been formed at the request of the Lebanese government to assist the Lebanese Armed Forces in carrying out their responsibilities in this operation. The Lebanese Armed Forces will ensure the departure of the PLO leadership, offices, and fighters from Beirut as follows:
a. Ensure the safety of the PLO personnel who will leave.
b. Ensure the safety of other people in the Beirut area.
c. Help restore the sovereignty and authority of the Lebanese government over the Beirut area.
7 — Departure Dates and Other Arrangements: The attached departure schedule is subject to modification as necessary due to logistical requirements and any necessary change in the designation of Departure Day. Details concerning the schedule will be conveyed to the Israeli Defense Forces through the Liaison and Coordination Committee. The assembly points for departing personnel will be determined by agreement between the Lebanese government and the PLO. The PLO will remain in contact with the governments that will receive the departing personnel in order to coordinate arrival arrangements and other arrangements there. If any assistance is required, the PLO should notify the Lebanese government.
8 — Mission and Mandate of the Multinational Force: If the PLO personnel referred to above do not leave Lebanon in accordance with the previously agreed and established schedule, the mandate of the multinational force will end and its personnel will immediately leave Lebanon.
9 — Duration of the Multinational Force’s Presence: The Lebanese government and the governments contributing forces to the multinational force will jointly agree that the multinational force will leave Lebanon no later than 30 days after its arrival, or sooner at the request of the Lebanese government, upon the direction of the relevant government, or upon the expiration of the multinational force’s mandate as referred to above.
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PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat on the eve of his departure from Beirut, August 30, 1982.
10 — The PLO leadership will be responsible for organizing and managing the assembly and final departure of PLO personnel from beginning to end, so that all the leaders will have left by that time. The departure arrangements will be coordinated so that the departure from Beirut proceeds at a steady pace day after day.
11 — Contribution of the Lebanese Army Forces: The Lebanese Army will contribute between seven and eight battalions to the operation, with the battalions comprising between 2,500 and 3,500 men. In addition, the Internal Security Forces will provide personnel and assistance as needed.
12 — International Committee of the Red Cross: The International Committee of the Red Cross will be able to assist the Lebanese government and the Lebanese Army forces in various ways, including organizing and managing the evacuation of wounded and sick Syrian and Palestinian personnel to appropriate locations and assisting in chartering commercial vessels to be used for their departure by sea to other countries. The Liaison and Coordination Committee will ensure appropriate coordination with any Red Cross activities in this regard.
13 — Departure by Air: While the current plans call for departure by sea and land, departure by air is not ruled out.
14 — Liaison and Coordination: The Lebanese Army forces will serve as the principal point of contact for liaison with the PLO as well as with other armed groups, and will provide the necessary information.
By Departure Day, the Lebanese Army forces and the multinational force will have established a Liaison and Coordination Committee composed of representatives of the governments contributing forces to the multinational force and representatives of the Lebanese Army forces. The committee will maintain close and effective liaison and provide continuous and detailed information to the Israeli Defense Forces. On behalf of the committee, the Lebanese Army forces will continue close and effective liaison with the PLO and other armed groups in the Beirut area.
For the purposes of carrying out its work, the Liaison and Coordination Committee will have two principal components:
a. Supervisory liaison.
b. Military and technical liaison and coordination.
The Liaison and Coordination Committee will operate collectively, although it may designate one or more of its members as the principal point of contact, acting on behalf of the committee as a whole.
Liaison and consultation arrangements will be conducted in a manner designed to minimize misunderstandings and prevent confrontations. Appropriate means of communication between the committee and the other groups will be developed.
The Liaison and Coordination Committee will continuously monitor the implementation of the plan and keep all concerned parties informed, including of any modifications to the departure schedule resulting from logistical requirements.
15 — Departure Period: The departure period will be as short as possible and will in no circumstances exceed two weeks.
16 — Passage Through Lebanon: As part of any arrangements for the departure, all movements of convoys transporting PLO personnel must take place during daylight hours. When convoys travel by land from Beirut to Syria, they should cross the border into Syria without stopping en route. In cases where convoys carrying departing PLO personnel pass through positions held by the Israeli Defense Forces, whether in the Beirut area or elsewhere in Lebanon, the Israeli Defense Forces will temporarily clear the road for the duration of the convoy’s passage. Similar measures will be taken by other armed groups present in the area through which the convoy passes.
17 — Weapons Carried by PLO Personnel: Upon departure, PLO personnel will be permitted to carry with them individual weapons—pistols, rifles, or machine guns—and ammunition.
18 — Heavy and Additional Weapons and Ammunition: The PLO will hand over to the Lebanese Army forces, as gifts, all other weapons remaining in its possession, including heavy and additional weapons and equipment operated by crews, together with all remaining ammunition in the Beirut area. The Lebanese Army forces may request assistance from personnel of the multinational force in taking possession of and disposing of the military equipment. The PLO will assist the Lebanese Army forces by providing, before its departure, complete and detailed information concerning the location and disposition of this military equipment.
19 — Mines and Booby Traps: The PLO and the Arab Deterrent Force will provide the Lebanese Army forces and the multinational force, through the Lebanese Army, with complete and detailed information concerning the locations of mines and booby traps.
20 — Departure of the PLO Leadership: The departing PLO personnel will be accompanied by a proportionate contingent of the military and political leadership throughout all stages of the evacuation operation.
21 — Handover of Prisoners and Human Remains: Through the International Committee of the Red Cross, the PLO will hand over to the Israeli Defense Forces all Israelis in its custody, as well as the remains of all Israeli soldiers or complete and detailed information concerning the locations of the remains. The PLO will likewise hand over to the Lebanese Army forces all other prisoners in its custody, as well as the remains of all other soldiers and complete and detailed information concerning the location of those remains. All arrangements for the handovers will be made with the Red Cross, as necessary, before Departure Day.
22 — Syrian Military Forces: It is noted that arrangements have been made between the governments of Lebanon and Syria for all military personnel belonging to the Arab Deterrent Force to redeploy from Beirut during the departure period. This force will be permitted to take its equipment with it, except for equipment handed over to the Lebanese Army forces by mutual agreement between the two governments. All elements of the Palestine Liberation Army, whether currently or formerly attached to the Arab Deterrent Force, will withdraw from Lebanon.
Timetable for the Departure of Arafat and His Fighters from Beirut in 1982
August 2, 1982 — Departure Day
- Approximately 350 advance personnel of the multinational force will land at the Port of Beirut at around 5 a.m. and deploy in the port area in preparation for the initial departure of PLO groups by sea.
- Meanwhile, Lebanese Army forces will deploy at previously agreed positions, primarily in the Beirut area, along what was known as the demarcation line, in order to assist in the departure of PLO personnel. The Lebanese Army forces will take up the positions previously held by the PLO.
- The PLO will ensure that the forces of the “National Movement,” which had occupied these positions jointly with the PLO, will also withdraw.
- As the day progresses, Lebanese Army forces will take up additional positions they deem necessary to assist in the departure of PLO personnel.
- Meanwhile, the first group of PLO personnel will assemble in preparation for departure by sea, later that day or on August 22. The vessel or vessels to be used for this purpose will arrive at the quay on August 21.
- The first groups will consist of wounded and sick personnel, who will be transported, according to agreed arrangements, by land, by sea, or by both, to their destinations in other countries.
- The first groups of PLO personnel bound for Jordan and Iraq will move from their assembly point to the waiting commercial vessel or vessels that will transport them by sea.
August 22, 1982:
- The groups bound for Jordan or Iraq will have boarded the vessel and sailed from Beirut. The same procedure followed on August 21 will be repeated, with PLO groups bound for Tunisia assembling and proceeding to the Port of Beirut for departure by sea.
August 23, 1982:
- All PLO personnel bound for Tunisia will have completed their assembly and boarded a Tunisian commercial vessel. PLO personnel bound for South Yemen will assemble and move to a vessel for departure that day or on August 24.
August 24–25, 1982:
- PLO personnel bound for North Yemen will assemble and depart by sea.
- Provided that all necessary logistical arrangements have been completed, the first group of PLO personnel bound for Syria will assemble and travel overland along the Beirut–Damascus road into Syria.
- The advance French elements of the multinational force stationed in the port area will have taken up agreed positions along the land route in the Beirut area, as necessary to assist the departure of PLO personnel overland to Syria.
- Lebanese Army forces will join the French forces stationed at these positions.
- If it is agreed that these first groups should depart for Syria by sea rather than by land, this departure schedule will be subject to modification to ensure that logistical requirements are met.
Approximately August 26–28:
The remaining forces of the multinational force—from the United States, France, and Italy—will arrive in the Beirut area and deploy at positions agreed upon and designated by the Liaison and Coordination Committee. This deployment may be accompanied by the redeployment of the advance French elements previously stationed in the port area, as well as those in other areas, to other positions in the Beirut area.
August 26–27–28, 1982:
- Groups of PLO personnel bound for Syria will continue to travel to Syria by sea and overland.
August 22 to September 4, 1982:
- PLO weapons, military equipment, and ammunition will be handed over to the Lebanese Army forces on a continuous and orderly basis.
August 29–30–31, 1982:
- Syrian elements of the Arab Deterrent Force will redeploy outside Beirut.
September 1–4, 1982:
The departure of all PLO or Palestine Liberation Army personnel bound for Syria by land and sea will be completed.
September 2–3, 1982:
- All PLO personnel bound for Sudan will assemble and depart by sea. Likewise, all PLO personnel bound for Algeria will assemble and depart by sea.
September 4–21, 1982:
- The multinational forces will assist the Lebanese Army forces with the arrangements, as agreed upon by the governments concerned, to ensure appropriate and lasting security throughout the area of operations.
September 21–26, 1982:
Departure of the multinational force.
According to a paper in Khaddam’s handwriting, the agreement “imposed by the Israelis, U.S. envoy Philip Habib, and Bashir Gemayel” was implemented according to the specified timetable.
Thus, the curtain fell on the period of the Palestinian military, political, and media presence in Beirut. Arafat, who had pledged to his “comrades in arms” that he would fight, left Beirut for Tunisia. Arafat, who had exchanged letters with Assad, refused to leave via Damascus, despite the Syrian president’s pledge to receive the Palestinian leaders as they made their way to… their new exile.
After Arafat’s departure from Beirut, “America continued working to arrange Lebanon’s affairs within the framework of a broader Middle East settlement in a manner that served its interests,” according to Khaddam. President Ronald Reagan tasked Habib with undertaking a Middle East tour focused on “Lebanon, which was the more urgent issue, and his [Reagan’s] Middle East peace initiative.”
On November 23, 1982, Habib visited Damascus, but Assad refused to meet with him, so Khaddam received him instead. U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz also visited the Syrian capital on May 7, 1983, and held talks on Lebanon and the region. The most significant step, however, was the “secret visit” made by U.S. National Security Adviser Robert McFarlane to Damascus to meet Assad on July 17, 1983, to negotiate a deal concerning the peace process, the situation in the Middle East, and the Syrian presence in Lebanon.
According to the secret minutes of the Assad–McFarlane meeting, the latter said: “Reagan believes that the first principle (the principle of security in Lebanon) can be achieved by agreeing to the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, simultaneously and at the same time. The second principle will be achieved when the future relations between Lebanon and all its neighbors are defined under terms to be agreed upon bilaterally between Lebanon and each of those neighbors.”
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Former U.S. National Security Adviser under President Ronald Reagan, Robert C. McFarlane.
He said: “If Syria can agree to these principles, the United States will persuade Israel to agree to them, although the Americans do not know what Israel’s response will be. But if Reagan becomes convinced that these matters are reasonable, he will indeed seek to persuade Israel to accept them.”
McFarlane then asked Assad “whether he believed that, if all the issues were settled, the idea of withdrawing all forces from Lebanon would be possible and acceptable.” The Syrian president replied: “While we reject in principle any linkage between our presence and the Israelis’ presence in Lebanon, we have informed the United States that we agree to withdraw from Lebanon if Israel withdraws without conditions and without gaining anything in return.”
McFarlane asked Assad: “Can you envisage any circumstances in which Israel’s security could be recognized?” The Syrian president replied: “Recognition is one thing, while the security arrangements being discussed are another. We will discuss the latter in light of their substance. What is required now is for Israel to withdraw from our territory without preconditions.”
After the secret visit, McFarlane returned to Damascus on a public visit, having been appointed President Reagan’s special envoy to the Middle East, and to Lebanon in particular.
Against the backdrop of these contacts, the way was being paved for the return of Syrian forces to Beirut, from which they had withdrawn alongside Arafat.
Following battles and deals that strengthened the Syrian military presence in Beirut and Lebanon, particularly after the Taif Agreement in 1989, the Syrian presence continued until the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon in April 2005, following the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in February 2005.
