UNITED NATIONS — Secretary of State George Shultz Friday failed to convince Syria to agree to a proposed U.N.cease-fire force in Lebanon.
A senior U.S. official, describing a meeting between Shultz and Syrian foreign minister Abdul Halim Khaddam Friday afternoon, said that Syria, standing practically alone among nations dealing with Lebanon, continues to oppose the idea of a U.N. observer force.
Syria, with some 40,000 troops in Lebanon and arms supplier to the Moslem Druze militia, would be a necessary part of any long-term agreement on a cease-fire in Lebanon.
The meeting came two days after Khaddam made a harsh publc attack in the U.N. General Assembly on the U.S. role in Lebanon and the Middle East.
According to the American official, the United States will continue to push the idea of a U.N. observer force in Lebanon, despite Syrian opposition. ‘Just because one country opposes an idea,’ the official said, ‘doesn’t mean the idea is dead.’
The senior U.S. official said Khaddam expressed opposition to the cease-fire force and also to the continued presence of Western troops in the multi-national force in Beirut.
The U.S. official said: ‘The Syrians have been very difficult for us to get along with.’