Urgent Arab contacts are being made to address the developments regarding the anticipated Israeli aggression against Lebanon. Cairo believes that this aggression may occur before the meetings of the Joint Arab Defense Council commence in Cairo next Wednesday. The newspaper that reported this information stated that sources in Egypt have indicated Israel’s intensive massing of forces in southern Lebanon over the past 48 hours.
At 1:30 p.m., Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad received Mr. Taqi Eddin Al-Solh, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, accompanied by the Ministers of Defense and Labor. Also present at the meeting was Mr. Mahmoud Al-Ayyubi, the Syrian Prime Minister. Damascus radio broadcasted that during the meeting, Al-Solh conveyed President Suleiman Franjieh’s greetings to President Al-Assad. Discussions revolved around the general situation in the region as well as the recent enemy raids on Lebanese villages and Palestinian refugee camps.
The second Arab move witnessed in the region today was the visit of Mr. Abdel Halim Khaddam, the Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Amman. Mr. Khaddam was received in Ramtha by Mr. Zaid Al-Rifai, the Prime Minister, and a number of Jordanian officials. Later that night, he handed over a message from President Assad to King Hussein upon his arrival in Jordan. Mr. Khaddam expressed his pleasure to visit the brotherly country and stated that the message pertains to the current regional situation. He added that in these critical circumstances, continuous communication and consultations between brothers are natural to strengthen unity of action in support of the Arab struggle against occupation and Zionist presence, with the aim of liberating Arab territory and restoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
A sudden development has occurred as it has been decided to hold a meeting of the Joint Arab Defense Council on Wednesday evening at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo, instead of tomorrow, Monday. Dr. Sayed Nofal, Assistant Secretary General of the League of Arab States, announced that the postponement was requested by the Lebanese government. The meeting, which will last for two days, will discuss the situation in southern Lebanon following the successive Israeli raids in the region. The Council, comprising the foreign and defense ministers of the Arab countries, will also address military assistance to be provided to Lebanon to respond to the Israeli attack and develop a unified Arab policy if the situation continues to deteriorate. Prime Minister Al-Solh stated that his government has received offers from four Arab countries, which he did not specify, to provide military assistance to Lebanon. Egypt and Syria are believed to be among these countries.
