U.S. Says Habib’s Continued Presence in Mideast is Evidence That Israel, Syria Lebanon Are Working F

The State Department stressed today that the continued presence in the Middle East of Philip Habib, President Reagan’s special envoy, was evidence that Israel, Syria and Lebanon continue to be engaged in the United States effort of “seeking a peaceful resolution on the crisis” in Lebanon.

At the same time the State Department denied there was an American plan for solving the crisis and said news reports about such a plan contained “distortions about the American approach.”

Habib, a former Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs, has completed the initial stage of his visit with meetings in Lebanon, Syria and Israel, Department spokesman Dean Fischer said today. He said Habib is back in Beirut today and that Habib’s schedule would be based on the “requirements of his mission.”

Fischer stressed that Habib’s “continued efforts underlined both the importance and urgency the United States attaches to diplomatic resolution of the problem and our commitment to do anything possible with the cooperation of the three governments to achieve that result.”

Fischer said Habib is working with the three governments involved “in order to solve this crisis on the basis of views which each of the parties have given him. Ambassador Habib is also working within the overall framework of U.S. policy toward Lebanon, of support and respect for the territorial integrity, sovereigny and national unity of that country and for its legitimate national government.”

CLAIMS DISTORTIONS OF U.S. PLAN

The spokesman said the U.S. is urging “restraint and flexibility on all the parties” but stressed “there is no American plan.”

However, he admitted that Secretary of State Alexander Haig had an off-the-record briefing on the situation in Lebanon yesterday for 200 persons, including State Department officials, foreign ambassadors and some reporters. But Fischer said that news reports that appeared about it contain “distortions about the American approach.”

This briefing apparently was a source of reports that the proposal for ending the conflict included an agreement by Israel to end some overflights of Lebanon in return for the withdrawal by Syria of the SAM-6 anti-aircraft missiles and for Syrian troops moving down from the Sannine mountains overlooking the Christian village of Zahle and the Beka valley.

In addition it was reported that Syrian troops in Zahle would be replaced by Lebanese troops. It was the Syrian attack on the Christian village which started the present crisis.

The report of the briefing yesterday angered many of the reporters who regularly cover the State Department, who have been demanding some type of briefing since the present crisis began. Up to now, the Department has maintained a public silence on the situation in Lebanon except to say it is “dangerous.”