Truce-force soldiers shot

Press, 27 July 1976, Page 8

Truce-force soldiers shot

NZPA-Reuter Beirut Christian militiamen opened fire on an Arab peacekeeping force at a buffer zone in Beirut yesterday, killing two soldiers and shattering Lebanon’s fifty-third ceasefire little more than an hour after it began. The United States Embassy announced that it had set up a sea evacuation of more than 400 foreigners for today, and had received Palestinian assurances of security. The commander of the ultra-Rightist “Tigers” militia of the National Liberal Party led by the Minister of the Interior (Mr Camille Chamouns) claimed responsibility

for the attack on the Arab force along the “Green Line” separating Beirut’s Moslem and Christian sectors. “Our party did not sign the truce agreement, and we had orders to prevent the Arab League troops from coming in,” the Christian commander said. "When the Arab troops began to advance, we shot in the air and over their heads as a warning, but they kept coming. After 15 minutes I gave the order to shoot.” Rightist radio reported that two members of the Saudi Arabian and Sudanese force had been killed, and two others wounded. The American Embassy announced that a United States

Navy landing craft would land on Tuesday and evacuate those foreigners who want to leave. Departing from usual official practice, the American Government contacted the Palestinians to assure the success of what the embassy called “the last such organised evacuation from Beirut." As of Saturday night, 435 foreigners, including 154 of the estimated 1500 Americans in Lebanon, had registered for the sealift and more were expected to sign up, the spokesman said. Although United States policy has banned contact with the Palestinian guerrilla movement, some of its mem-

bers provided security for last month’s naval evacuation of 263 Americans and other foreign nationals. At the Palestinian refugee camp of Tel Al-Zaatar, under seige for more than a month. Christian shelling shattered a bomb shelter and trapped as many as 500 persons in the rubble, according to Palestinian reports. "There is no cease-fire while we are winning.” said Major Fuad Malek, Christian commander of the attacking forces. “Our conditions for a cease-fire include the total evacuation of everyone in the camp, including the Palestinian fighters. It’s either total surrender or total war ”