The Reagan Administration made it clear again today that it does not want to be a mediator at this time in the effort for an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon. State Department spokesman John Hughes stressed that the United States continues to be in an “exploratory mode” and is “not negotiating” because all of the parties involved are “quite far apart.”
Hughes said there needs to be “compromise” on the part of the various countries involved. While he did not go into details, he said one of the difficulties is the need to ensure the security of Israel’s northern border.
Israeli Premier Shimon Peres, on returning to Israel from the U.S. yesterday, said he could submit a plan for withdrawal to the Cabinet within a month. Hughes said any such timetable was an “Israeli affair, not ours.”
But he stressed that the U.S. wanted to be helpful. He indicated that Richard Murphy, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, would continue to visit Israel, Lebanon and Syria to discuss the positions of the three countries, but would not be negotiating or mediating.
In another matter, Hughes seemed to throw cold water on a report from Israel that the U.S. has agreed to delay Israeli payments on its debts for several months in order to help it with its economic difficulties. Hughes stressed that during Peres’ meetings in Washington many solutions were talked about on a “contingency” basis. But he said no decision was made on what the U.S. will do or whether it will have to do anything. (Separate story, P.1.)
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