Danny Chamoun, the son of former pro-Western Lebanese President Camille Chamoun, met here today with Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir. During their meeting Chamoun expressed support for the ratification of the Israel-Lebanon agreement, which Lebanon has so far failed to do. He also expressed the hope that the Israeli withdrawal from the Shouf mountain area would be coordinated with the Lebanese government, “so that the dangerous vacuums which could lead to new flare-ups would not develop.”
Chamoun, who is also scheduled to meet with Defense Minister Moshe Arens and other Israeli leaders, was invited to come here as tensions between Israel and Lebanon are increasing. He told reporters that he had not come to Israel secretly or by accident. Chamoun said there was no reason to be secretive about his visit because Israel and Lebanon are not enemies. The relationship between the two countries should lead to eventual peace, he said.
Chamoun has spent five years in self-imposed exile following his defeat in his bitter rivalry with Phalangist leader Bashir Gemayel during the years of struggle between the Christian armed forces and Chamoun’s “Tiger” militia. Gemayel was murdered last September, a few days before he was to assume the presidency. The Phalangists then proceeded to butcher the Tiger militia and have since then dominated the Lebanese forces.
Chamoun’s visit to Israel was seen as his bid to return to Lebanese politics. He acknowledged that he would like to be Lebanon’s President, following in the footsteps of his father’s three-term presidency.
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.
