U.S. Welcomes Reports of a Lebanese Security Plan

The Reagan Administration welcomed reports today that the various factions in Lebanon are nearing agreement on a security plan that would allow the govemment of President Amin Gemayel to exercise more controkover Lebanon.

State Department spokesman John Hughes said it would be a “welcome development” since the proposed plan would allow the “consolidation of government auth ority” over more areas than it now controls.

Donald Rumsfeld, President Reagan’s special representative for the Middle East, arrived in Beirut today and presumably will be discussing the plan with Lebanese leaders. It was unclear whether the plan was worked out in conjunction with the Administration’s study of a means of redeploying the U.S. marines now in Beirut in order to lessen the danger to them.

But if the Lebanese army is able to move out further than the Beirut area, it could mean that the marines and other members of the multinational force could change their positions and even leave Lebanon altogether.

REAGAN THANKS ASSAD FOR RELEASING PILOT

The Administration, in welcoming the release of Navy flyer Lt. Robert Goodman, made it clear that although it considered the act a “humanitarian” gesture, it hoped it was a sign that Syria will be more forthcoming in urging the Lebanese groups close to it to move toward national reconciliation as well as Syria itself being willing to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.

President Reagan sent a telegram thanking President Hafez Assad of Syria yesterday or Goodman’s release.

In welcoming to the White House Goodman and Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Democratic Presidential aspirant whose trip to Damascus gained Goodman’s release, Reagan told reporters, “Of course” he would be glad to meet with Assad.

More imminent, however, is whether Assad will meet with Rumsfeld during the Mideast representative’s current trip to the area. Rumsfeld did not see Assod when he was in Damascus last month.