President Reagan, seeking to maintain the support of American for keeping U.S. marines in Lebanon in the wake of yesterday’s terrorist destruction of marine headquarters in Beirut, stressed today that the continued U.S. presence is vital to Middle East stability and world peace.
The President, in both his prepared statement and in response to questions at a White House luncheon for regional newspaper and broadcast executives, said that the establishment of a stable Lebanon is necessary both for the success of his Middle East peace initiative and to prevent Soviet domination of the Middle East.
While he did not refer to the Soviet Union by name, Reagan said it would be a “disaster if a force took over in the Middle East” and said such a force was ready to do so as witnessed in Yemen and Ethiopia and the “some several thousands of troops in Syria.”
REJECTS WIDENING U.S. ROLE
At the same time, the President rejected any widening of the U.S. military role in Lebanon, saying that to do so would mean that “we would be fighting against Arab states” and this would harm the U.S. peace efforts in the Middle East. He added that if the U.S. was to enter combat in Lebanon, it would mean “risking the start of overall conflict and world war.”
Reagan maintained that the U.S. must continue its diplomatic efforts in Lebanon which, he said, had “brought great progress” including the start of a meeting toward national reconciliation scheduled to open in Geneva next Monday. He said that this progress “would not have been made if it were not for the multinational force” in Lebanon.
The President, however, said that he has not chosen anyone to replace Robert McFarlane, his new national security adviser, as his special Middle East envoy. Richard Fairbanks, who was McFarlane’s deputy in the Middle East, was in Israel today. Reagan also linked the U.S. effort in Lebanon with its attempts to “produce more Egypts” and have Arab states agree to sign peace agreements with Israel. “Our country since 1948 has been pledged to the continued existence, the security of Israel,” he said.
‘STRONG CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE’
Calling yesterday’s bombing which so far has claimed the lives of 183 marines and sailors and wounded at least 75, “a viciously, cowardly and ruthless” act, Reagan said there is “strong circumstantial evidence” that those responsible for the “atrocity” were also responsible for other incidents against the U.S., including the bombing of the Embassy in Beirut last April.
Reagan said they were not members of the main groups fighting in Lebanon but small individual bands of “criminals” who were taking advantage of the present situation in Lebanon. “Every effort will be made to find the criminals responsible for this act of terrorism so this despicable act will not go unpunished,” Reagan said.
But neither the President nor White House spokesman Larry Speakes would say what the U.S. would do once hard evidence is found. There have been reports that yesterday’s bombing was committed by a small group linked to Iran’s Ayatolla Ruhollah Khomeini.
U.S. MISSION IN LEBANON
The President rejected the charge by critics in Congress and elsewhere that the U.S. has no clear mission in Lebanon. “We have vital interests in Lebanon and our actions in Lebanon are in the cause of world peace,” he said. He reiterated that the MNF is in Lebanon in order to allow that country to restore its sovereignty.
“By promoting peace in Lebanon, we strengthen the forces for peace throughout the Middle East,” Reagan declared. “Peace in Lebanon is key to the region’s stability now and in the future. To the extent that the prospects for future stability is heavily influenced by the presence of our forces, it is essential to our credibility on a global scale. We must not allow international criminals to undermine the peace in Lebanon.”
He also stressed that “if Lebanon ends up under the tyranny of forces hostile to the West, not only will our strategic position in the Middle East be threatened but also the stability of the entire Middle East, including the vast resources of the Arabian peninsula.”
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.
