State Department Says That the Mnf Will Begin to Patrol the Main Thoroughfares in East Beirut

The Multinational Force in Beirut (MNF), composed of U.S. marines and Italian and French troops, will begin mobile patrols of the main boulevards of east Beirut, the State Department disclosed today.

The MNF patrols, requested by Lebanese President Amin Gemayel, will be there to “bolster the security efforts” of the Lebanese army and police, State Department spokesman John Hughes said.

Until now, the MNF has been only in west Beirut. The Italian and French forces are in the city limits while the 1,200 member U.S. marine contingent has been stationed south of Beirut in the airport and surrounding area. East Beirut has been mainly under the control of the Lebanese Christian militias.

OUTLINES NEW FUNCTION

“The Lebanese armed forces are extending their control over the whole of the capital and it seems appropriate for the MNF to move in tandem,” Hughes said. He said that while the patrols will have a different function than that performed up to now by the marines, the MNF mandate is to “facilitate the assertion by the government of Lebanon of its authority over all of Beirut.” Hughes said the Lebanese government is doing this “step by step, day by day.”

He added that while an “isolated incident can never be rule out,” the marines are not expected to be “involved in hostilities” during their patrols. Referring to today’s car bombing near a marine post in Beirut in which one marine was injured, Hughes said there was “no indication that the bombing was directed at the marines.”

The State Department spokesman announced, meanwhile, that Egyptian Foreign Minister Kamal Hassan Ali will visit Washington November 11-13 for meetings with Secretary of State George Shultz and other U.S. officials.