Syrian Foreign Minister to Meet with Carter, Vance in Washington

In an unexpected Middle East development, the State Department and the Syrian government announced today that Syrian Foreign Minister Abdal-Halim Khaddam will visit Washington April 21-23 for meetings with President Carter and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. His visit is at the invitation of Vance and will be part of the “continuing discussions of their efforts for a just and lasting peace” in the Mideast, the State Department said.

The Department’s chief spokesman, Hodding Carter said the Khaddam visit “is not in lieu” of Carter’s planned meeting with President Hafez Assad of Syria in Europe mid-May. Asked if the visit was in connection with the situation in southern Lebanon over which the State Department expressed serious concern yesterday, Carter said “There are many components in what is necessary for peace” in the region. He pointed out that Syria is a “key participant” in the search for peace. Khaddam, who is also Deputy Premier, has visited Washington twice before–in August, 1974 and June, 1975.

The Damascus announcement of his trip said it was concerned with “political and diplomatic efforts related to the Middle East question.” The State Department spokesman would not specify Lebanon is a major topic but insisted that Khaddam’s visit was part of the U.S. discussions to obtain views “on the proper way peace can be achieved.”

The announcement of the visit came at a time when the U.S. has been active in seeking what it calls “stabilization” of the situation in southern Lebanon. In Beirut today. Lebanese Foreign Minister Fuad Butros summoned the U.S. Ambassador, Richard Parker, to discuss events in southern Lebanon. Parker said afterwards, “We reviewed the general situation.” He gave no details.