The Reagan Administration, declaring that it was “revolted” that Lebanese civilians in Tripoli are being endangered by the “brutal behavior” of Palestinian groups fighting among themselves, today urged neighboring governments to use their influence to stop the carnage.
The Administration’s plea, contained in a statement read by State Department deputy spokesman Alan Romberg, was an attempt to keep Tripoli from being used as a battleground between Yasir Arafat’s decimated Palestine Liberation Organization loyalists and dissident Palestinian groups backed by Syria and Libya. The plea was apparently aimed at Syria although Romberg refused to be specific as to what was meant by neighboring governments.
At the same time, Romberg announced that the U.S. is contributing $1 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to be used for relief in Lebanon.
He said the U.S. urges all governments to be open to suggestions from groups like the ICRC and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) “for humanitarian and relief efforts to alleviate the suffering.”
He added that the U.S. is a major contributor to UNRWA and is presently discussing with that organization what further steps should be taken.
In the statement on the fighting in Tripoli, Romberg said: “We are revolted that once again the people of Lebanon have been subjected to terror and injury — this time against Tripoli by the radical and brutal behavior of Palestinian factions and their supporters.
“It is tragic that once again, the civilian population of Lebanon is again victim to hostilities not of their making and over which they are unable to exercise influence and control. We urge governments in the area to bring their influence to bear constructively to end the fighting.”
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.
