U.S. Warns Israel Against Military Strike at PLO Forces in Lebanon

The Reagan Administration, in an apparent warning to Israel against a military strike at the Palestine Liberation Organization forces in south Lebanon, has denied that the PLO’s arms build-up has changed the “balance of forces” in that area.

“We are opposed to any arms build-up in southern Lebanon,” State Department spokesman Dean Fischer said last Friday, reading from a prepared statement. “We are not aware of any major infusion of arms from any sources since last July (when the cease-fire along the Israel-Lebanon border went into effect) that could be construed as significantly altering the balance of force. Obviously, this is something we continue to watch closely.”

Fischer denied that his statement contradicted remarks by Secretary of State Alexander Haig at a press conference February 5 in which Haig called Soviet arms shipments to the Palestinians in south Lebanon, including tubed artillery and rockets, destabilizing actions.

Fischer said Friday that the prepared statement he read was a “general” response to Israeli Ambassador Moshe Arens’ warning in interviews a day earlier that the PLO build-up makes it likely that some provocative action will force Israel to take a military response. “You might almost say it is a matter of time,” Arens was quoted as saying.

WARNS AGAINST EXACERBATING CONFLICT

Fischer, in his statement, warned that “violence from any quarter can only exacerbate the Arab-Israel conflict and perpetuate the difficulties faced by all concerned in that troubled part of the world. The U.S. cannot condone violent attempts to solve political problems of any kind. History has proven time and time again that violence begets violence, and no solution can be found through armed attacks in the Mideast.”

Fischer also responded to Arens’ reported remarks warning that U.S. sale of sophisticated arms to Arab countries might force “Israel into a corner where it would have no choice but to take some kind of pre-emptive action” by quoting from President Reagan’s recent letter to Premier Menachem Begin.

“We remain fully committed to maintaining Israel’s qualitative edge in the regional balance of forces,” Reagan was quoted by Fischer. “Quantitative factors will obviously also continue to weigh in our deliberations.”

Arens said the sale of sophisticated weapons to the Arab countries is reducing Israel’s qualitative edge. The envoy was commenting on a statement by Defense Minister Ariel Sharon that Israel will not permit Jordan to buy the F-16 jets and mobile Hawk missiles it seeks from the U.S.

Reagan, in his letter to Begin, said that Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger had not brought back a request for the F-16’s and the Hawks from his recent visit to Amman. But Fischer stressed that “Jordan is a good friend of the U.S. and we want Jordan to be secure.” He said the U.S. has a long-standing military relationship with Jordan and regularly discusses with Jordan that country’s defense needs.

Meanwhile, President Reagan’s special envoy Philip Habib is back in the Middle East “to help strengthen the cessation of hostilities” which he helped arrange last July, Fischer said. Habib, who is in Beirut, met yesterday with Lebanese Prime Minister Shafiq Al-Wazzan. The two men discussed ways of preventing renewed violence in south Lebanon. Wazzan told reporters afterwards that Habib made no specific proposals but appeared determined to prevent further violence between PLO and Israeli forces. He said his talks with Habib concentrated on how to strengthen the ceasefire.

Fischer also noted that the U.S. supported the United Nations Security Council decision last Thursday to send another 1.000 troops to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and that it “welcomes” the strengthening of the UN force. (See related story.)