U.S. Sees Israel As ‘factor’ in Developing Lebanon Crisis

The State Department said today that it regarded Israel as “a factor” in the developments presently unfolding in Lebanon and was also keeping a close watch on the actions of the Arab states in the Lebanese conflict. Referring to the Arab League’s decision in Cairo yesterday to form a pan-Arab force aimed at ending the fighting in Lebanon, Department spokesman Fred Brown told reporters, “We have noticed the decision of the Arab foreign ministers and are watching closely the actions which flow from it.”

He said that at this time he had “no comment on inter-Arab positions including these efforts at forming an inter-Arab force for a peace-keeping goal.” He said the U.S. judged events in Lebanon according to whether they contribute to “or make more difficult an effective cease-fire and political accommodation among the parties in Lebanon that will preserve the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and national cohesion of that country.”

Questioned about the role of other Middle Eastern countries, specifically Israel, Brown said, “I think the Israelis are a party to the general picture in the Middle East. They certainly are a factor taken into account when talking about events now going on in and around Lebanon.” But Brown said he could not “characterize the Israeli attitude or what I think about the Israeli position with regard to events taking place in Lebanon.” He reiterated that the U.S. is in contact with the various parties “and we have the sense of what their attitudes are.” Brown said he had no information on future Syrian troop movements into Lebanon “or any indication of that.”