United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim said today that he made progress in his talks with Israeli leaders on Israel’s withdrawal of its forces from south Lebanon. He said the UN forces there were now in a position to take over from the Israelis and that the UN is determined to secure and maintain order in south Lebanon. He confirmed that he would seek Security Council approval to enlarge the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) which presently has an authorized strength of 4000 men. Waldheim spoke to reporters here after meeting with Premier Menachem Begin and Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan this morning. He met with Defense Minister Ezer Weizman last night and said he would talk with Weizman again before he leaves Israel. The Secretary General expressed concern to Begin over what he considers the slow pace of Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon and full implementation of Security Council Resolution 425 of March 19 which called for total withdrawal and set up UNIFIL.
“Premier Begin told me that there was an Israeli intention to withdraw from the occupied territory (in Lebanon) but a vacuum had to be avoided,” Waldheim said. “Therefore, the role of the UN is very important.” He added, “I hope there will soon be further Israeli withdrawal since we have now deployed our forces so that it is possible for them to take over from the Israeli forces.”
Waldheim described as “exaggerated” reports of clashes between terrorists and Norwegian units of UNIFIL. “From time to time there are minor incidents, but I wish to assure you that until now the operation went smoothly,” he said. He repeated the statement he made yesterday that PLO chief Yasir Arafat had promised him in Beirut to respect the implementation of Resolution 425. There have been conflicting reports from Lebanon of PLO intentions.
Waldheim, who flew to south Lebanon today to inspect UNIFIL contingents, said last night that his meeting with Weizman had been very useful. He said they discussed all aspects of Resolution 425. Waldheim was reticent about the recovery of four Israeli soldiers ambushed and captured by terrorists in south Lebanon last week. Only one of them is believed still alive. The Secretary General said he dealt with the matter when he was in Beirut yesterday but refused to elaborate. He promised, however, that the UN would be as helpful as possible.
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.
