The Egyptian Ambassador to the U.S. Ashraf Ghorbal, urged today that all sides talk less about threats and more about the elements of achieving peace as Israel’s final withdrawal from Sinai, two months from now, approaches.
Ghorbal made his remarks at the State Department after a meeting with Secretary of State Alexander Haig. He called on Haig before returning to Cairo for consultations. His comments were believed prompted by a reported statement by Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon who expressed concern about the Egyptians maintaining a military presence in Sinai after Israel pulls out on April 25.
Ghorbal also said he was pleased that President Reagan’s special envoy Philip Habib, is returning to Lebanon. He said this showed that the Reagan Administration is determined to “keep things cool ” in Lebanon and to maintain the cease-fire there.
Habib will arrive in Beirut tomorrow, according to official sources in Lebanon. It is his fourth trip to the region since last May when the 61-year-old diplomat was called out of retirement to attempt to end bitter fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian terrorists in south Lebanon.
The State Department announced this week that Habib was returning to the region but divulged no dates or itineraries for security reasons. Habib was instrumental in arranging the cease-fire that has been in effect along the Israeli-Lebanese border since last July. His current mission is believed to have been prompted by the possibility of a new outbreak of violence in that area.
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