Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir emerged today from his second meeting with Secretary of State George Shultz and went immediately to the White House for a meeting with President Reagan. (Story, P. 3)
It was not clear what progress if any was made during Shamir’s talks with Shultz yesterday and today, totalling more than seven hours. But the Foreign Minister was scheduled to return to the State Department from the White House for another meeting with Shultz this afternoon.
Shamir, who was planning to return to Israel tonight, has postponed his departure for another day. There are no plans for him as yet to meet Administration officials tomorrow but he is expected to talk to members of Congress.
Shamir emphasized yesterday that the major purpose of his visit to the U.S. is to explain the Israeli position to the American Administration and to seek what he called a coordination of policy between Israel and the U.S.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, Elie Salem who met with Shultz earlier this morning, before the Shultz-Shamir meeting, said progress has been made if only because the people who have been negotiating for the last two months have had a chance to meet with Shultz and explain to him at “first hand” the Lebanese position. “We were able to respond directly to some of the concerns of Israel,” he said.
Shamir stressed that he is “confident that Israel is entering these negotiations in a good spirit” and that the Israelis, like the Americans and Lebanese are “anxious to reach an agreement.” He said many of the “bottlenecks” holding up an agreement now are really “psychological.” But, he said, Israel has been asking for some “specific assurances” which “nobody can guarantee beforehand.”
Salem rejected Shamir’s statement yesterday that the Lebanese army cannot maintain security throughout Lebanon. “The Lebanese army is capable now to control all the territory of Lebanon,” Salem said. “The Lebanese army which is in greater Beirut has provided peace in greater Beirut, The only part of Lebanon that is enjoying peace is that part that is under the Lebanese army,” he said.
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