Secretary of State George Shultz declared, at a press conference at the State Department today, that the United States intends to help Lebanese President Amin Gemayel in his new initiative to restore order in his country, and also that the United States will deal with a new Israeli Government when it is formed.
In a prepared statement, Shultz said: “As we all know, there has been widespread fighting recently throughout Beirut and its suburbs. At present we are advised by the Lebanese central authorities that effective measures are being taken to restore order. We all pray that they will be successful. “
Shultz said “a historic problem in Lebanon has been to find a formula for reconciliation of the various communal and confessional groups. President Gemayel has been working hard to do just that throughout his tenure in office. Today, with his Council of Ministers, he issued a call for key Lebanese leaders to join in a dialogue aimed at constituting a new national ap- proach to reconciliation and unity.” Shultz said that the United States “firmly supports this effort” and that it is consistent with President Reagan’s firm policy of support for an independent Lebanon, and withdrawal of all foreign forces with security arrangements for Israel’s northern border. Shultz added that “we intend to help President Gemayel in his new initiative in every way possible through our own efforts and through cooperation in the multinational force with France, Italy and Great Britain.”
He also said, “We call upon the international community in general and particularly on Syria, which has the largest army in Lebanon, to respect and support this process.”
The Secretary of State affirmed that the United States will continue to provide training and support for the Lebanese armed forces and for the MNF and the United States marine contingent of that force, as well as active diplomatic efforts. Shultz stated emphatically, “Let no one doubt that if attacked, the marines will take care of themselves with vigor.”
Shultz said that “the problems of Lebanon, important in their own right, are at the same time a part of the greater question of peace for the Middle East.” He said that President Reagan’s September I, 1982 peace initiative is still valid and “a workable basis for negotiating.” He added that “any serious efforts in the days ahead, must return to these fundamentals” of the Camp David accords and UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338.
During the question and answer session, Shultz stated that the U.S. has “no plan under consideration at the moment to change the size or role or mission of the multinational force or the United States marine contingent of it … when the process of withdrawal of foreign forces from Lebanon really gets under way, questions can be raised about changes in the role the MNF might undertake.”
Shultz also said he has no plans to go to the Middle East after his upcoming scheduled trip to Madrid. However, he described Reagan’s special envoy Robert McFarlane and Ambassador Richard Fairbanks as “very competent people, doing an outstanding job, and handling the situation well.”
REACTION TO BEGIN’S RESIGNATION
Shultz, asked about the implications of Premier Begin’s planned resignation, declared that in his dealings with the Premier, he found him to be “a person of clear strong mind, vigorous, he was a gentlemanly person to deal with, and I wish him well.”
Shultz disclosed that last spring “we were close to a Palestinian participation” on negotiations “that would have reinvigorated the negotiating process that failed at the last minute, but perhaps we can bring it back.”
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.
