Israel is drawing up contingency plans for a redeployment of its army in Lebanon, if the withdrawal of all foreign forces from that country cannot be implemented because of Syrian opposition, a senior government policy maker told reporters at a news briefing today.
The policy maker refused to set any deadline or time limit for the implementation of the withdrawal agreement. But he stressed repeatedly that planning of alternative deployment was actively under way. Israel, he noted, was not committed to maintain its present deployment in Lebanon.
The policy maker hinted that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and/or the multinational force might be moved into any areas vacated by the Israel army in a redeployment to the south or into areas vacated by Israel and the Syrians if simultaneous withdrawal is eventually implemented.
He noted that under the Israel-Lebanon agreement, one UNIFIL batallion is to remain north of Sidon to patrol the Sidon-Tyre area refugee camps. This would leave five UNIFIL batallions available for a peacekeeping role elsewhere in Lebanon if the UN Security Council agreed.
STRESSES BROAD ARAB WORLD SUPPORT
The policy maker stressed the broad Arab world support of the agreement, or at least of the principle of simultaneous withdrawal. He noted though that the so called Arab moderates, such as Saudi Arabia, have privately spoken out against the “political” provisions of the accord which moved Israel and Lebanon towards peaceful relations.
In many cases their attitude appeared to be: remove Israel from occupied Arab land and leave peaceful relations for later, if at all, he said.
Nevertheless, the policy maker continued, the Arab world’s reactions in favor of the accord appeared to be impressing the Soviets. While there was no open rift between Moscow and Damascus, it was plain to Israeli analysts that “Russia is not giving the lead ” to Syrian rejection of the accord and refusal to withdraw. He said the Soviets did not want to see “an extreme development” in Syria. At the same time, though, the Soviets are solidly supporting the Syrians in their objections to the accord. The policy maker noted that Damascus’objections were chiefly to the “political ” aspects of the pact, rather than to the specific security provisions. President Hafez Assad and Foreign Minister Abdel Halim Khaddam have complained that the pact effectively removed Lebanon from the Arab camp in the confrontation with Israel.
The policy maker confirmed that Israel and Lebanon had not reached final agreement on the status and role of Maj. Saad Haddad. This issue will be taken up in the Joint Liaison Committee to be estab- lished after the agreement comes into effect with the exchange of “instruments of ratification ” hopefully this week.
But it had been agreed, the policy maker said, that Haddad would be integrated into the Lebanese army, would hold a senior rank, and would hold no less an assignment than deputy commander of the territorial brigade, the task which Lebanon and the U.S. had proposed for him and which Israel initially rejected.
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.
