Sharon: Israel Doesn’t Intend to Invade or Annex Any Part of Lebanon

Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon denied today that Israel intends to invade Lebanon but warned that Israel has the “natural right” to defend its citizens.

“Israel is looking for a peaceful solution in Lebanon,” Sharon said in an interview on ABC-TV’s “This Week With David Brinkly.” “We don’t have intentions to invade Lebanon or to attack Lebanon, Neither do we have any intention to annex any part of Lebanon.”

Sharon admitted that Israel has given the United States a commitment not to move into Lebanon unless there is a “clear provocation” from the Palestine Liberation Organization terrorist forces here. Pressed for a definition of a “clear provocation” he said it would be “when Jews in Israel are killed.”

BRZEZINSKI WARNS OF ‘OMINOUS’ DEVELOPMENT

But Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter’s National Security Advisor, who appeared on the same ABC program following the Sharon satellite interview, said that he believed the Israeli official was “trying to tell us Israel prefers not to go in but that they will go in.” He said this was an “ominous” development because it was part of a “general deterioration” in the Middle East.

However, Sharon stressed that Israel was working with Philip Habib, President Reagan’s special envoy, to find a solution to the crisis in Lebanon. But he noted there have been violations by the PLO since the cessation of hostilities, which Habib helped to establish last July 24, was put into effect. He added that terrorist raids coming from Lebanon and going through Syria and Jordan into the West Bank have been called “technical violations” of the ceasefire.

Sharon said Lebanon is the “world center of terrorism” not only because of the 20,000 armed Arab terrorists, but also because 1,700 terrorists from around the world were trained there last year.

CITES ISRAEL’S CONCERNS

The Defense Minister warned against the possible sale of U.S. mobile Hawk ground-to-air missiles to Jordan. He said these missiles would put half of Israel, including Jerusalem, under threat endangering the existence of the Jewish State. But he avoided comment on the report that he had told a French publication that Israel would not allow the missiles to be placed in Jordan.

Sharon said Israel was concerned about the Reagan Administration’s decision to remove Iraq from the list of countries supporting international terrorism and feared planes would now be sold to that country. He added Israel was also “very much concerned” that Syria would be removed from the list of supporters of international terrorism.

Sharon said Israel was not helped by President Reagan’s promise to maintain Israel’s “qualitative edge” militarily in the Mideast. “We do not have any intention whatsoever to proceed with this crazy arms race,” he said. “We just cannot do it.” He noted that he has cut Israel’s defense budget by 10 percent.

Brzezinski declared that Israel, like the U.S. cannot achieve security by denying arms to its potential enemies but only by pursuing the peace process. The U.S. has “rightly” given Israel the “necessary deterrents” he said, adding the U.S. along with Israel and the Arab states should do more to promote accommodations. He said the U.S. has to “be actively and continuously engaged in the peace process,” and charged that the Administration has allowed the process to loose “momentum” since Reagan came into office.

Brzezinski said that while he “respects” Israel’s reasons for not wishing to deal with the PLO, the U.S. should “talk” to the PLO although not negotiate with it. He said the U.S. should tell the PLO that they have “missed the boat after Camp David” and it is in their “interest” to negotiate. This would “fortify elements” in the PLO that are “moderate” and isolate elements that are radical, Soviet-supported and intransigent. He defined as moderate those in the PLO who are to the right of the terrorist group’s leader Yasir Arafat “and in some cases” Arafat himself. He said that Arafat’s public statements, such as his recent claim that he has sent help to the guerrillas in El Salvador, should be analyzed depending on what audience he is aiming at.

But Sharon earlier said that Israel told visiting French President Francois Mitterrand that Israel would never negotiate with the PLO and would not allow the establishment of a “second Palestinian state.” He said Jordan is a Palestian state because 80 percent of its inhabitants are Palestinians.

Brzezinski predicted that the radical elements of the PLO would commit an “outrageous” act between now and April 25, the day Israel is scheduled to withdraw from Sinai.

As for Israel, Brzezinski said it would put Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak under some pressure either to react adversely to what the Israelis are doing in order to “justify” a delay of the Sinai withdrawal or make Mubarak “swallow something the Israelis have done” in order “to widen the gap between him and the Arab world.” He said the Israelis are afraid that Mubarak will move too quickly toward his fellow Arabs after the Sinai is returned and hoped to slow the pace down.