Lebanese Official Apparently Urging the U.S. to Take Steps to Get Syria out of Lebanon

Lebanese Foreign Minister Elie Salem is apparently urging the Reagan Administration to discuss with Syria the Golan Heights and other Syrian “concerns ” in the effort to get Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.

Syria “has never slammed the door on negotiations, ” Salem said in an appearance on CBS-TV’s “Face the Nation ” today. But he said Syria is maintaining its “intransigent” position in order to address their “strategic” concerns in Lebanon and the Middle East.

Salem met with Secretary of State George Shultz yesterday and is scheduled to meet with him again and with other U.S. officials in preparation for the visit here of President Amin Gemayel later this week. He said he was “confident we will break the stalemate” and predicted complete withdrawal of the Israelis, the Syrians and the Palestine Liberation Organization in a few months.

SAYS U.S. SHOULD FORGET ISRAEL FOR NOW

But Salem noted that the withdrawal of Syria and the PLO could be negotiated outside the agreement that Lebanon signed with Israel on May 17. He suggested that the U.S. should forget about Israel for the present and concentrate with providing “incentives” to the Syrians.

This, he indicated, was to address with the Syrians the issue of the Golan Heights, the Middle East situation and the Palestinian issue. Another issue was Lebanon itself.

Salem said that Syria had told the Lebanese “if you can sign an agreement with Israel, you come to us and we’ll discuss with you the withdrawal.” But he said the Syrians did not like the Israeli-Lebanese agreement, claiming that it violated Lebanese sovereignty and that it opened the way for Israel and U.S. military bases in Lebanon.

Salem denied this and declared that Lebanon is non-aligned and will continue to be so. He said Lebanon turned to the U.S. because only Washington could get Israel to withdraw and is willing to seek the help of the Soviets and the Europeans if that is necessary to get Syria and the PLO to leave.

ISRAEL, SYRIA NOT SEEKING PARTITION

At the same time, Salem rejected the belief by some that both Syria and Israel want to remain in his country. “I do not believe that there is any serious plan on the part of either Israel or Syria to partition or annex any part of Lebanon, ” he said.

He said Lebanon would not discuss with Israel any possible redeployment of troops since this would give the impression to the various groups in Lebanon that the Beirut government had agreed to a partition. He said Lebanon would only discuss partial withdrawal as part of an overall timetable for a full withdrawal.

But Salem stressed that if Israel, Syria or the PLO withdrew from any territory, the Lebanese army was ready to move in and maintain security in that area. He said that the Lebanese army is responsible for law and order and that the multinational force provides logistical back-up for it. He predicted that once there is complete withdrawal of all foreign troops from Lebanon, the multinational force would be needed for only another year.

Salem denied that Lebanon has good relations with Israel, maintaining that it talked to Israel only through the U.S. He also blamed the present fighting among various sects in Lebanon on “pressures” from Syria and Israel and said that once there was full withdrawal, all groups in Lebanon would back a united Lebanese government.