President Carter is unlikely to accept suggestions from Israeli Premier Menachem Begin on south Lebanon that differ from the United Nations Security Council resolution calling for Israel’s withdrawal from the area and a UN force replacing it.
The President’s position on the eve of his meetings with Begin starting tomorrow became clear today at the State Department after a reporter asked whether the Israeli Premier would be “wasting his time by suggesting alternatives” to the U.S.-sponsored resolution. “Yes,” Department spokesman John Trattner replied. “We do feel the resolution is the best possible way to handle this, not only now, but in the future. But I won’t say anything is excluded.”
Trattner said the U.S. has not had “any indication on the highest Israeli level” on the resolution. But he said he did hear yesterday about Israel’s concern that the UN troops will not be able to prevent the Palestine Liberation Organization terrorists from returning to the area. “We feel that concern has been met by the resolution,” he said.
GOAL IS TO PREVENT TERROR ACTS
Emphasizing that speed was essential to get a UN mandate approved for south Lebanon, Trattner repeatedly said that the U.S. sought to get Israel’s views both in Washington and New York yesterday before the 12-0 Security Council vote. “We do feel Israeli concerns have been met by the action the Security Council took” and that the “mandate meets the major concerns both of ourselves and the Israelis,” he said. Israeli spokesmen, however, insist that the U.S. acted with undue haste towards a Security Council resolution and prior to any exhaustive consultations with Israel.
Trattner said that while the UN resolution does not say so, “the primary goal is to prevent the recurrence of Palestinian terrorism.” He said the UN force will have arms for its “own defense” and said that UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim “has underlined the fact that unauthorized people will not be allowed back in the area.” Trattner said the U.S. believes “it essential” that “instability in southern Lebanon be resolved in a way that would not further disrupt efforts at a comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East.”
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