‘Slow’ pace of U.N. moves worries Israel
NZPA-Reuter Metullah (Israel) Phase two of the limited Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon was due to begin yesterday as United Nations peace-keeping troops take up positions along a skm stretch of the Litani River. However, the “slow” speed with which the United Nations forces are moving in is causing disquiet in Israel. Pending deployment in the zone of soldiers from Nepal. Iranian and Norwegian units will move into the nine positions being evacuated by ; the Israelis. The positions range from Taibeh village, a largely destroyed ruin, to the Khardali and Arkaya bridges. Commanders of the Nepalese contingent toured the area yesterday, accompanied by Israeli liaison officers, to acquaint themselves with the terrain. The Nepalese forces are to link up with Norwegian h units to form a line sur- | rounding the Christian enclave along the Israeli front-! Her, just north of the Israeli! I border town of Metullah. The Israeli Deputy Prime I Minister (Professor Yigael; jYadin) said on Thursday' night that Israel was not; satisfied with the slow pace{ at which the United Nations troops were taking up their! positions. Professor Yadin did not! elaborate, but Israeli observ[ers said that when the
United Nations SecretaryGeneral (Dr Kurt Waldheim) ; arrived on Monday, Israel would give concrete exam- , pies of why it had mis--1 givings. The Israelis are /worried that Palestinian ! guerrillas will move back into the area they invaded. . Dr Waldheim, who is arj riving to inspect the United ; Nations troops in south Lebanon, is expected to urge Israel to speed up withdrawal. Francis Rizak, spokesman ,; for the Israeli-backed south ; Lebanese Christians, speakI ing in Hebrew on Israel ' Radio on Thursday night, said there were now more > Palestinian guerrillas in the area than there had been before the Israeli incursion. . i The Christian Maronite pleader said they were getting i reinforcements from Iraq, through the open border .'with Syria. I Dr Waldheim has told the II Independent Vienna newsin paper, “Die Presse,” that ne- . gotiations towards a Middle .{East peace settlement would .! return to the United Nations i since bilateral talks have not been successful so far. . His aim on his Middle iEast trip, he told “Die 'Presse,” is to bring about an interim conference on the ! Middle East under United 'Nations auspices and. above all. to reintegrate the “outsiders” — the Arab Rejection Front including the Palestine Liberation Organisai tion — into the process.
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Press, 15 April 1978, Page 8
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399‘Slow’ pace of U.N. moves worries Israel Press, 15 April 1978, Page 8
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