U.S. Prepared to Send Up to 1,000 Troops to Lebanon

The United States said today it was prepared to send up to 1,000 troops to Lebanon to help in the evacuation of the Palestine Liberation Organization and to ensure the establishment of a strong central government in that country.

The offer, first revealed by Israel Radio, was confirmed by deputy White House press secretary Larry Speakes in Los Angeles where President Reagan is vacationing. But Speakes added that a request must be made from the Lebanese government for U.S. troops before they would be sent.

According to Speakes, President Reagan may deploy a battalion of some 800 U.S. troops joined with participation by ships of the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean to help in the evacuation of the estimated 6,000 Palestine terrorists who remain entrenched in west Beirut.

While there has been discussion that the proposed agreement would involve the Marines, White House officials in California said personnel from other military branches could not be ruled out. But White House officials said any presence of American military personnel “would be limited in size and duration.”

Speaking today to a meeting of city mayors and state legislators, Reagan confirmed U.S. willingness to help in the evacuation of Palestinians from Beirut. While Reagan said there has yet to be a formal request from the Lebanese government, he added that he has “agreed in principle to contribute a small number of U.S. personnel, subject to certain conditions.” He did not say what those conditions were.

At the State Department, spokesman Dean Fischer refused to comment on the troops offer, referring all questioners to the Speakes briefing.

TRANSITIONAL OFFICE FOR HAIG

Meanwhile, Fischer revealed that Secretary of State Alexander Haig, who had been involved in the Mideast negotiations during his weekend vacation in West Virginia ended that involvement sometime yesterday. Fischer said that Haig, Reagan and Secretary of State-designate George Shultz have agreed that until Shultz is confirmed by the Senate and sworn in, Deputy-Secretary Walter Stoessel will serve as acting Secretary of State.

However, Haig will have a transitional office in the State Department for 45-60 days, Fischer said, although he did not know if the Secretary would use the office personally. He said it would be staffed by Haig’s aides, including Sherwood Goldberg, his executive assistant, and Muriel Hartley, an assistant to the Secretary. Reporters noted that when Secretary of State Cyrus Vance resigned in the Carter Administration, he left the Department the next day and had no such office.

U.S. ENSURING SAFETY OF LEBANESE CIVILIANS

Meanwhile, Fischer stressed that the U.S. is doing everything possible to help ensure the safety of the civilian population in Lebanon, including urging Israel to lift its blockade of west Beirut. “We have a deep concern about the human dimensions of the conflict,” he said. He said that the Department has been informed that water service has been restored to west Beirut although not electric power.

Fischer stressed that through seeking to maintain the cease-fire and trying to bring about a peaceful solution to the conflict, “we are trying to prevent actions that endanger the lives or welfare of innocent civilians.” He noted that Peter McPherson, Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) is co-ordinating the U.S. relief assistance to Lebanon in cooperation with international efforts. Fischer also noted that the U.S. voted for the UN Security Council resolution Sunday night which was aimed at the protection of the civilian population in Lebanon and the restoration of all services. In concluding, Fischer stressed that the U.S. urges “all parties in the conflict to respect the rights of all civilians.”