Dutch Foreign Minister Hans Van der Broek said here today that his government might be willing to reconsider its decision to withdraw its troops from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon by October 19 if by then a new and useful role was available for the troops and if the Lebanese situation was improved.
Van der Broek was responding to Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir’s suggestion that UNIFIL contingents might be able to play a role, alongside multinational force units, in aiding the Lebanese army to take over and control areas of the country that Israeli and Syrian forces vacate.
The two Foreign Ministers met for four hours today. Van der Broek will meet with Premier Menachem Begin tomorrow morning. Israeli officials stressed the warm and friendly atmosphere at the talks despite differences that surfaced especially over the Palestinian issue and Israeli West Bank settlements. The officials said both ministers had felt the talks went “excellently.”
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