Hope fades for cease-fire in Lebanon

publisher: UPI

Publishing date: 1983-09-28

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp

Hope faded Wednesday for an early agreement on an international force to back up the Lebanese cease-fire as Syria’s foreign minister publicly attacked the United States in the U.N. General Assembly.

The harshly worded speech by Foreign Minister Abdul Halim Khaddam at the 38th General Assembly coincided with new artillery attacks from Syrian-controlled territory on Lebanese government forces near Beirut.

On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France and Italy agreed that a cease-fire observer force should not come from the existing four-nation multinational force in the Beirut area.

They decided it would be better to build up the existing U.N. Truce Supervisory Organization (UNTSO), which has been patrolling cease-fires in the Middle East since 1948.

The cooperation of Syria, which has some 40,000 troops in Lebanon and which is backing and supplying the Druze forces in Lebanon, would be essential in setting up the cease-fire observer force.

In separate talks with British Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe and Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Andreotti, Khaddam appeared to oppose the UNTSO build-up and appeared to back another formula, possibly an Arab force, although he did not make that explicit.

His prepared speech to the Assembly was a sharp attack on the United States and its partners in Lebanese peace-keeping force although he did not refer to Britain, Italy and France by name.

‘U.S. intervention on one side (in the civil war in Lebanon) represents a danger to the region.’ He predicted ‘U.S. involvement in the Middle East would be as ill-fated as it was in Vietnam.’

Khaddam said his country would insist on the scrapping of the May 17 Israeli-Lebanese troop withdrawal agreement, because it was imposed on Lebanon by Israel.

The foreign minister said Syria would support the ‘Lebanese patriotic resistance’ and ‘the brotherly Lebanese people’ indicating continued support for the Druze and others who oppose the government of President Amin Gemayel.

Syria will support the sovereignty, national unity and independence of Lebanon, Khaddam said, but he left unclear whether his government continues to accept the Gemayel regime.

An American spokesman, John Hughes, said that Secretary of State George Shultz had not seen Khaddam’s speech. When told of its tone and content, Hughes said, ‘Syria has an interest in Lebanon and we’re looking for a reasonable solution.’

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp

Recent Articles


Khaddam’s memoirs… “letters of love and threats” between Reagan and Assad… America withdraws from Lebanon, Israel retreats, and Syria “is isolated”

2024-10-28

Damascus releases the American pilot amidst shuttle tours of White House envoy Rumsfeld…and Washington foils a secret visit by Hikmat Al-Shihabi In the midst of the U.S.-Syrian military exchanges in Lebanon, President Hafez al-Assad’s illness, Colonel Rifaat’s ambitions for power, and the intensifying Iran-Iraq war, Syrian Foreign Minister Abdel Halim Khaddam met with U.S. Ambassador […]

Khaddam’s memoirs…an American-Syrian clash in Lebanon…and Reagan’s envoy requests a meeting with Rifaat al-Assad after “Mr. President” fell ill

2024-10-27

Khaddam threatens Washington’s ambassador with “immediate expulsion”… and exchange of Syrian-American bombing President Ronald Reagan attempted to contain the crisis with President Hafez al-Assad following the bombing of the “Marines” and the shelling, sending his special envoy, Donald Rumsfeld, to Damascus on November 20, 1983. Rumsfeld, a former Secretary of Defense under President Gerald Ford, […]

Khaddam’s memoirs…the Marine bombing before the Lebanese Geneva dialogue…and America accuses Iran of working “behind the lines” of Syria

2024-10-26

Washington accuses Tehran of being behind the Beirut attacks and criticizes Damascus for “facilitating the Iranian role” Robert McFarlane, Deputy National Security Advisor in the United States, returned to Damascus on September 7, reiterating previous statements about the necessity of a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon to coincide with the Israeli withdrawal. On the 22nd of […]