Syria’s refusal to withdraw its forces from the Bekaa valley was justified by Egyptian Minister of State Boutros Ghali. He told Arab journalists here last night, after his arrival in Paris, that Syria’s stand “is justified and natural” because Damascus “is worried by Israel’s intentions. He added that “one should not forget that Israeli troops still occupy the Golan.”
Ghali’s declaration, printed today in several Arab-language dailies, might indicate a change in Egyptian-Syrian relations. Cairo and Damascus broke off diplomatic relations in 1979 after the signing of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty and the two countries’ state radios and televisions have been generally trading accusations and insults.
Damascus Radio, monitored in Paris today, warmly praised, for the first time, Egypt’s stand and thanked President Hosni Mubarak for his support. The radio bitterly attacked the new American mediator, Robert McFarlane, saying his trip to the Middle East “serves to help the pro-American regimes and the Phalangist interests” in Lebanon. Damascus Radio indicated that McFarlane might not be welcomed once again in Syria unless he “brings with him new ideas.”
McFarlane, President Reagan’s special envoy to the Mideast, met with Syrian President Hafez Assad last Sunday. The Syrian leader said his country continues to reject the Israel-Lebanon agreement and that Syria would not consider withdrawing its troops from Lebanon before Israeli troops fully withdraw.
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