Lebanese Christian leader Camille Chamoun said in an interview published in Le Figaro today that the United Nations was neglecting a serious aspect of the problem in Lebanon related to the Palestinian and terrorist presence in that country. He said the internationalization of the Lebanese question, similar to the UN action in Korea more than 25 years ago was necessary.
Chamoun, a former President of Lebanon, said that UN Security Council Resolution 425 of March 19 referred only to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon. “The other aspects of the problem now, that is to say the presence of 20,000 armed fedayeen and 400,000 Palestinians living in Lebanon, has been avoided by the UN,” he charged.
Chamoun praised Israel’s assistance to the Christian community in Lebanon and said Israel’s support “in no way prevented Lebanon from recovering its sovereignty.” He recalled that the Soviet Union and the U.S. became allies in face of the Nazi danger and “no one complained about such an alliance. Today, in face of the Palestinian danger, Lebanese Christians are seeking help from Israel,” he said. He warned that “a new United Nations action is imperative, otherwise the Christians will react if nothing is done to restrict Palestinian fedayeen activity.”
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