President Amin Gemayel of Lebanon today set October 20 as the date for the national reconciliation talks but Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, on a visit to Paris, stressed that he will not attend.
Beirut Radio monitored in Paris said a preparatory committee will meet tomorrow at the Lebanese Health Ministry, on the green line which separates east and west Beirut, to set the way for the actual talks intended to resolve eight years of civil war.
Jumblatt, one of the heads of the anti-Gemayel opposition front, conferred here today with Foreign Minister Claude Cheysson and various Lebanese political leaders in exile. Yesterday, after a meeting with Swedish Premier Olof Palme, he announced that he will not attend the reconciliation talks unless Gemayel gives concrete assurances that he intends to respect Druze rights in the Shouf mountains.
French sources say that in spite of Cheysson’s urging to recognize the legitimacy of the cent al Beirut government, Jumblatt remained adomant in his opposition.
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