Defense Minister Moshe Arens said today that the Lebanese government’s abrogation of the May 17 agreement would have no influence on the Israel Defense Force deployment in south Lebanon. He said the IDF had been active for some months to ensure the safety of Galilee towns and villages — the original announced aim of the Lebanon war.
Arens said the most serious aspect of the abrogation of the agreement yesterday was the behavior of Syrian President Hafez Assad who was ready to take the most extreme and brutal steps to ensure that no Middle East countries would open relations with Israel.
The Defense Minister said negotiations were being held with a number of organizations in south Lebanon to ensure that Israel’s aim of peace on its northern border would be implemented. He said it is hoped that maintaining peace and preventing the return of terrorists to south Lebanon would be borne by local Lebanese organizations.
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