New talks in Beirut

Press, 9 August 1976, Page 8

New talks in Beirut

NZPA-Reuter Beirut The Arab League envoy, Dr Hassan Sabri Al-Kholi, has embarked on a new round of talks with rival leaders as the combatants in Lebanon’s bloody civil war continued to ignore the 54th cease-fire in 16 months. Fighting continued at the week-end around the beleaguered Palestinian refugee camp of Tel Al-Zaatar, where Rightist forces have been laying siege for more than six weeks. The Red Cross announced on Friday that it had formally abandoned the evacuation of an estimated 1000 seriously-wounded men, women, and children. A total of 408 were taken to safety during the week before sniper fire forced a halt to the operation. Dr Al-Kholi met the Right-wing Phalangist Party leader (Mr Pierre Gemayel)

the moderate Moslem leader, in Saeb Salam, and the chief International Red Cross representative, Mr Jean Hoefliger.

He.also had talks with the President-elect (Mr Elias Sarkis), the Palestinian leader, Mr Yasser Arafat, and other leaders during the day. His discussions were believed to have centred on a new cease-fire agreement' and on the work of a supervisory committee, whose first scheduled meeting on Saturday was postponed at Syria’s request. The committee comprises representatives from both Left and Right factions in Lebanon, as well as Palestinian and Syrian groups under the chairmanship of an Arab League official. One of its tasks was to have been the supervision- of the ill-fated cease-fire. In Rightist-held east Bei-

, rut two men were produced f at a press conference who ■ said they’ were members of a i 150-strong Iraqui force sent to Lebanon to fight along- , side Leftist and Palestinian factions. The men said they had been captured during [ fighting in a southern Beirut suburb and added that their force had arrived by way of Cairo and the southern ! Lebanese port of Tyre.