Premier Menachem Begin said yesterday that a peace treaty with Lebanon could be achieved in a day or two of negotiations and could be followed by similar agreements with Jordan, Syria and the rest of the Arab world. Addressing a B’nai B’rith luncheon here, he stressed that Israel has no territorial demands from Lebanon.
A week ago, Begin offered to fly to Beirut for peace talks with President Elias Sarkis, an offer promptly rejected by the Lebanese government. Begin also proposed at that time that Syria pull its forces out of Lebanon and that the 165,000 Palestinian Arabs in south Lebanon be resettled in other Arab countries.
Begin hailed the peace treaty with Egypt yesterday, observing that since it was signed last March 26 “we live in a different world.” He noted that Israel naval craft will shortly pass through the Suez Canal, a sign of the rapid normalization of relations between Israel and its most powerful neighbor. But Begin cautioned that many problems remain to be resolved notably that of Jerusalem. “Just like Washington, D.C. will never be divided, neither will Jerusalem, capital of Israel, “he said.
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