President Reagan appealed to all countries today to join in an international humanitarian effort to help the victims of the current conflict in Lebanon, a White House statement said.
Reagan said he is “asking Congress today to provide $20 million in relief and rehabilitation assistance for Lebanon and is making available immediately $5 million in emergency assistance for food, shelter, medicines and other urgently needed relief supplies.”
Meanwhile, the State Department released par of a transcript of a press briefing today by Secretary of State Alexander Haig aboard Air Force One en-route from London to Bonn with President Reagan’s party. Haig told reporters that the U.S. had vetoed a Security Council resolution last nigh condemning Israel’s invasion of Lebanon because of “its lack of balance.”
He said that U.S. special envoy Philip Hobib had “another lengthy discussion last evening with (Premier Menachem) Begin. They are now talking about circumstances which might be associated with an implementation of UN Resolution 508,” which calls for a cease-fire in Lebanon and Israel’s withdrawal, Haig said. He said Habib “has proceeded to Damascus where he is now to see if some framework can be arrived at to have on immediate cease-fire.”
HABIB WILL GET NEW INSTRUCTIONS
After these discussions, Hoig said, “the President will instruct Ambassador Habib what his next step should be.” Asked if Habib would also talk with the Syrians about a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, Haig replied, “No, I don’t think so. I think the main problem here again is to put an end to the bloodshed as quickly as possible.” He said the fact that Israeli forces have advanced well beyond the 40 kilometers (25 miles) into Lebanon projected by their Cabinet “has been raised with Prime Minister Begin and our concern with respect to it.”
Asked if Israel accepted the principle of withdrawal under UN Resolution 508, Haig said “They accepted that in their original statement when they said they had no intent to hold or seize Lebanon’s sovereign territory and (would) return to the international border. The question is,” Haig said, “what conditions will be applied by Israel — whether they will be acceptable to the U.S. and to the international community and whether appropriate conditions can be put together quickly.”
At the State Department today, deputy spokesman Alan. Romberg said there were no plans for Haig to go to the Middle East. He said that so far there has been no change in Begin’s scheduled visit to Washington June 21.
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