The United States said today it opposed military intervention in Lebanon by any one nation but it refrained from giving a position on how it would look upon a coalition of Arab nations sending a force into that country to take control. The State Department yesterday declared its opposition to “outside” intervention-in Lebanon.
Today, however, it asserted opposition to “unilateral” action, but emphasized it has “no comment” on Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s proposal to Arab League leaders to organize a multi-national Arab contingent to enter that war ravaged country. Department spokesman Robert Funseth emphasized “our statement was directed against any unilateral intervention in Lebanon.”
But when he was asked whether the U.S. would object to a multi-national Arab force, he replied “that would depend on the Lebanese authorities.” He said he was “not really addressing” himself to the Sadat “idea” and the U.S. has not had time to study it. A pan-Arab intervention, he said, is “not an immediate problem.” Asked what would happen if Syria alone sent in forces, Funseth pointed to yesterday’s statement.
Pressing for a U.S. position that it has been seeking since January, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency asked again whether the State Department considered as “outside” forces the Palestine Liberation Army whose troops moved from Syria into Lebanon and the Palestine Liberation Organization whose militia encamped inside Lebanon and are fighting against the Lebanese Christian Falangists.
Funseth replied, “I am not in a position to make that kind of a judgement today.” He pointed out “We are having a delicate situation” in Lebanon and that “I just don’t think it would be helpful for me” to set forth a U.S. view on the Palestinian groups.
U.S. TRYING FOR CEASE-FIRE
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger said today that the United States is trying for a cease-fire in Lebanon and that the U.S. is in “close touch” with Syria and other Arab countries and “some of the parties in Lebanon.” Reiterating that “we are opposed to outside intervention.” Kissinger said he would not “speculate,” on the effect on the Middle East should the attempt fail.
“At this moment the primary objective is a cease-fire,” he told newsmen after having lunch with King Hussein of Jordan. Kissinger said most of the discussion with the King concerned the situation in Lebanon. Asked directly by the JTA whether he approved of the proposal by Sadat for a multi-national Arab force to enter Lebanon, he avoided the reply with a chuckle.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
