President Reagan and Lebanese President Amin Gemayel ended a two-hour meeting at the White House this morning reaffirming their determination that all foreign forces leave Lebanon as soon as possible.
Gemayel, who noted he was “honored” to be the first Lebanese President to make an official visit to the United States, also endorsed President Reagan’s Middle East peace initiative, saying it has “created unprecedented opportunities for peace.”
In bidding the 40-year-old President farewell on the south lawn of the White House, Reagan said they had discussed the “full range of issues, with particular focus on our shared objective of prompt withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon.”
The President said he had “reaffirmed United States support for the sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and freedom of Lebanon” and said Lebanon could rely upon the United States to achieve these goals. “It is my hope that our mutual effort will lead to restored peace and prosperity for all the people of Lebanon and, indeed, of the Middle East,” Reagan said.
Gemayel replied that Lebanon has emerged from “occupation” and has reentered the “ranks of the free world.” He said that he and the Lebanon people are “committed to the immediate removal of all foreign forces from our soil and to work hand in hand with all sectors of Lebanese society to build a nation in which all citizens have equal privileges, rights and responsibilities.”
REAGAN SAYS PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE
Neither President dealt with any specifics on the withdrawal of Israeli and Syrian troops and Palestine Liberation Organization forces from Lebanon. But after Gemayel left for a later meeting with Secretary of State George Shultz, Reagan said in response to reporters questions that “progress” has been made. But he said he did not know when the withdrawal will take place.
Asked if the U.S. marines now in Beirut with Italian and French troops as part of the multinational force would be home for Christmas, Reagan said he didn’t know.
Later, senior Administration officials said that by progress, Reagan had meant that the talks with Gemayel today and with Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir last week had advanced the “consultations” on the efforts to have the foreign troops leave Lebanon. Administration officials noted yesterday that the U.S. has set a target date for withdrawal for the end of the year. They noted that the President “has told us get them out as soon as possible, the sooner the better.”
One official noted today that further talks might be held with Shamir when he stops over in New York later this week on his way back to Israel from Costa Rica. But the official said that the real negotiations will begin when Morris Draper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East and South Asian Affairs, who was here for the Shamir and Gemayel talks, returns to the Mideast as special ambassador for Lebanese negotiations. There will have to be consultations with Syria and, through other parties, with the PLO, the official said.
Both Syria and Israel have said they will leave Lebanon and the only thing to be worked out are the “circumstances” of their departure, an Administration official stressed today. He said if the Syrians leave, the PLO will go too, for there is no place for them in Lebanon; the Lebanese want them out and they know it.
The officials said that while the Israelis now demand that the PLO leave before the Israeli army will pull out, he believes that if a timetable for the PLO departure is established, it would be “unlikely” that the Israelis would hold things up.
SEEKS EXPANSION OF MULTINATIONAL FORCE
Gemayel, in his meeting with Reagan, which included a breakfast session followed by an hour-long meeting in the Cabinet room, asked that the multinational force in Beirut be expanded and that the U.S. marines remain until the foreign troops leave Lebanon, according to the Administration official. He said the President took this into consideration but did not make any commitment.
The official said there were no detailed discussions for the security arrangements of south Lebanon. Israel wants the Lebanese army to take responsibility. The official said that the expansion of the United Nations Interim force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) or of the multinational force cannot be ruled out and the eventual solution could be a combination of the various proposals.
The official stressed that Gemayel had assured the Americans that the Lebanese army will seek to provide for the security of all the people in Lebanon, including the Palestinians.
The official said the sweeps now being conducted by the Lebanese army in west Beirut is part of the Lebanese government’s determination to “root out terrorism.” They believe it is a “cancer which “not only destroyed Lebanon” but threatens largo parts of the Arab world. The official said Gemayel thanked Reagan for the aid the U.S. has given to his country.
LEBANON SEEKING 10 TO 15 BILLION DOLLARS IN AID
Lebanon is seeking between 10 and 15 billion dollars in aid to rebuild the infrastructure of the country. The Administration official noted that the U.S. is not expected to give more than the $110 million it has appropriated for economic aid to Lebanon for the current fiscal year and the majority of the aid for Lebanon will have to come from the international community, particularly West Europe and possible the Arab world. Gemayel was to meet with Alden Clausen, president of the World Bank.
Another meeting today was with Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger at the Pentagon where presumably military aid was discussed. In his remarks on the White House Iawn, Gemayel noted that “America’s friendship and assistance, not only in peace-keeping and peace-making, but also in reconstruction and rebuilding our armed forces is vital.” A Pentagon survey team has just returned from two weeks in Lebanon in which it analyzed Lebanon’s military needs.
EMOTIONAL ABOUT U.S. SUPPORT
The Administration official said at one point during the talks this morning, Gemayel turned to Reagan with emotion and said the support of the United States for Lebanon during this darkened period had made it possible for the Lebanese to see there would be light ahead. An Administration official said yesterday that Reagan was the first U.S. President to have a specific Lebanese policy apart from the overall Mideast policy.
In his remarks on the White House Iawn, Gemayel said that the U.S. role is the “indispensable” ingredient to bring peace not only to Lebanon but also to the whole region as well. Noting that a U.S.-Lebanese partnership “is the cornerstone of building this new Lebanon,” Gemayel pledged “to carry our share of the responsibility of the partnership by a full and reciprocal contribution to all U.S. goals in its many noble endeavors as the leader of the free world.”
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.
