State Dept. Believes IDF Will Evacuate West Beirut by Sunday

The State Department indicated today that it believes Israeli troops will withdraw from west Beirut Sunday, the day after U.S. marines are expected to land in the Lebanese capital.

Department spokesman John Hughes said that the U.S. has not received a formal reply from Israel on President Reagan’s plan Monday night that the Israeli army withdraw from all of Beirut. The U.S. has also not received a formal communique on the Israeli Cabinet decision agreeing to allow into Beirut the multinational force made up of the marines, and Italian and French troops, Hughes said.

But he said that Israel, in talks with the Lebanese army, has indicated its troops will leave by Sunday. He said there already seems to have been a “drawing down” of Israeli forces with their positions being taken over by the Lebanese army. He added that the U.S. position is still that it wants an “immediate withdrawal” by Israel from all of Beirut.

ISRAEL FINDING CACHES OF ARMS

Hughes also reported that Israel is picking up large caches of arms, mostly ammunition, and is taking it back to Israel. He drew back from saying this was a violation of the agreement for the withdrawal of the Palestine Liberation Organization from Beirut although he noted the agreement called for the arms to be turned over to the Lebanese army.

However, he said the fact that the arms were found stored in the city in large quantities indicated that the PLO had violated the agreement by not turning over the arms to the Lebanese government. But he stressed that any dispute over the arms would now have to be worked out by the Lebanese and the Israelis.

At the same time, Hughes maintained that Israel had “violated assurances” as part of the agreement by going into west Beirut last week. But a State Department official said the U.S. did not accept the PLO violation of the agreement in hiding the arms as justification of Israel violating the agreement and going into west Beirut.

The official said that while many of the agreements worked out by special U.S. envoy Philip Habib seem to have been over taken by events, the main purpose of the agreement still exists, the effort to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty.

In a related matter, Hughes said the U.S. had no corroboration for Israel’s charge that some 2,000 PLO terrorists were left in Beirut after the evacuation of the PLO to various countries.

Hughes had no comment on the Israel government’s refusal to hold on inquiry on the massacre last week at two Palestinian refugee camps in west Beirut, saying this was a question for Israel alone to decide. While saying that the U.S. is collecting information on what happened, he backed away from using the word “inquiry.”

LAWMAKERS UPSET BY ISRAEL

However in Congress, many of Israel’s strongest supporters are upset over the Israeli government’s refusal to create a commission of inquiry. Reps. Benjamin Rosenthal and Stephen Solarz, both Democrats from New York, were quoted as saying this was a mistake. Sen. Henry Jackson (D. Wash.) urged Israel “to submit the matter to an international investigation.”

Hughes stressed today that Secretary of State George Shultz has ruled out any cuts in economic or military aid to Israel. However, on Capitol Hill, observers believe that while Israel is expected to get the same $2.2 billion in economic and military aid it received this year, there is little chance of getting the increase it has requested.

Meanwhile, on the comments made by King Hussein of Jordan in various interviews yesterday, Hughes said the U.S. believes Hussein is “considering seriously” President Reagan’s peace initiative.

However, Hussein said that he would never negotiate with the government of Premier Menachem Begin. But Hughes stressed, “We deal with the legitimate government of Israel whoever that might be.” The King also said he would not negotiate within the Camp David framework. Hughes stressed the President’s proposals are within this framework. Hughes said that the diplomatic efforts promoting the President’s initiative are continuing. “We are very hopeful that the thrusts for negotiations within the Camp David framework will be successful,” he said.