Assad speech casts cloud over peace moves in Lebanon

Press, 22 July 1976, Page 8

Assad speech casts cloud over peace moves in Lebanon

NZPA-Reuter Beirut The Libyan Prime Minister (Major Abdel-Salam Jal loud) is due to resume urgent talks with Palestinian leaders, his chances of healing the Syrian-Palestinian rift cast into new doubt by a bitter speech from President Hafez Al-Assad of Syria.

Major Jalloud has been shuttling between Damascus and Beirut for weeks trying to mediate between the former allies, whose friendship ended in fighting when Syrian troops intervened in Lebanon, in order, they said, to stop the civil war. He had on Tuesday apparently arranged a compromise between the two sides’ demands: The Leftist-Pales-tinian alliance agreed to send jan emissary to Damascus, land once he arrived Syrian droops were to begin withidrawing from Sofar, a mounItain town 30 kilometres east ■of Beirut, and Jezzine in (southern Lebanon. i But alliance leaders, ex-ip-cted to choose the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s political department head (Mr Farouk Kaddoumi) as their emissary', became bogged down in debate, and yesterday there was no indication whether a delegation would go.

Barely an hour after Major Jalloud had flown to Beirut to join the talks. President Assad began a three-hour speech attacking the Palestinian movement for breaking agreements with Syria, and expressing confidence in the Right-wing President, Mr Suleiman Franjieh. President Assad said bluntly that he would continue his policy or armed intervention in Lebanon. To the Palestinians, who believe Syria has teamed up with Lebanese Rightists against the Leftist-P a 1 e s t i n i a n alliance, this must have been a bitter blow.

Far from withdrawing from Sofar, Syria began two days ago to reinforce its troops there, and a shelling duel was under way yesterday between Syrian positions and nearby Leftist and Palestinian forces in the Metn mountain area.

A Palestinian spokesman said his side expected an

attack bv Syrian and Rightist forces on Metn district towns taken from Rightists earlier in the war. The Palestine news agency, W.A.F.A. reported that the two towns were being shelled and rocketed by Syrian artillery yesterday.

In the Tel Al-Zaatar Palestinian refugee camp, W.A.F.A. reported, an attack by besieging Right-wingers—-the 62nd in 29 days—was beaten off by the camp’s defenders. An Internationa] Red Cross convoy is due to make a second attempt to evacuate about 100 seriously-wounded people from the camp today. An earlier attempt failed because of shelling on the road into the camp, an enclave in Rightist-held east Beirut. Each side accused the other of breaking the agreed cease-fire and of firing on the convoy.