President Reagan referred only briefly to Middle East matters in his speech to the 38th UN General Assembly this morning which was devoted mainly to the issue of arms control.
He did not mention the Middle East peace initiative he announced on September 1, 1982 nor did he go into details of the cease-fire just achieved in Lebanon. He emphasized America’s support of international peace-keeping efforts.
Reagan declared that he came to the UN to renew “My nation’s commitment to peace” by supporting collective efforts by the international community “We give our unwavering support, ” he said, “to the peace-keeping efforts of this body (the UN) as well as other multinational peace-keeping efforts around the world. The UN has a proud history of promoting conciliation and helping keep the peace. Today, peace-keeping forces or observers are present in Cyprus and Kashmir, on the Golan Heights and in Lebanon.”
The President stressed that the U.S. has a long tradition of mediating conflicts and presenting peaceful solutions, “In Lebanon, we, along with France, Italy and the United Kingdom, have worked for a cease-fire, for the withdrawal of all external forces and for the restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Reagan said.
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