The United States government warned today against intervention by any foreign power in the Lebanese situation and specifically mentioned Syria and Israel in that connection. State Department spokesman Robert Funseth said the warning was in response to statements by the Syrian Foreign Minister Abdel Halim Khaddam that Syria would annex Lebanon if that country was partitioned and by Israeli Defense Minister Shimon Peres that Israel would not stand idly by if Syria intervened in the Lebanese crisis.
“The U.S. has repeatedly expressed its support for the territorial integrity of Lebanon,” Funseth said, referring to Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger’s letter to that effect to the Prime Minister of Lebanon last Nov. 5. Funseth in a prepared statement read to reporters, said:
“During the course of the difficulties in Lebanon, we have made clear that the U.S. opposed any outside interference in Lebanon’s affairs. This position was made known to the governments in the area. Our view has not changed. No country should intervene in Lebanon. We are opposed to any outside intervention in Lebanon by any country, including Syria and Israel.”
Funseth noted that “My response is to the statements of both the Israeli and Syrian officials,” meaning Peres and Khaddam. Asked if there was any foreign intervention now in Lebanon, Funseth referred the questioner to the Lebanese authorities.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
