We’re shelling Israel from Jordan — P.L.O.

Press, 16 June 1982, Page 8

We’re shelling Israel from Jordan — P.L.O.

(NZPA-Reuter Damascus The Palestine Liberation 'Organisation said yesterday that its guerrillas had shelled -Israeli settlements from .positions in Jordan for five days. '■ it was the first time that the Palestinians had spoken of operating from Jordan since Israel thrust into Lebanon on June 6 to attack guerrilla strongholds, with the declared aim of pushing the guerrillas out of artillery’ range of its northern border towns. Israel has not mentioned such shelling. L The P.L.O.'s news agency. Wafa, quoted a Palestinian military spokesman as saying: “In retaliation for the barbaric shelling by the Zionist enemy for the last two weeks of Lebanese-in-habited quarters and Palestinian refugee camps, our units operating in Jordan have been shelling with Sockets since Thursday Israeli settlements in the alAghwar region." ' He named three target settlements south of the town of Tiberias. Palestinian guerrillas have not’ operated openly in Jordan since 1970, when King Hussein launched a hardfought campaign to expel them from his country. The Israeli Prime Minister (Mr Menachem Begin) left for the United States today to launch what the Israeli's say .is a political struggle to ensure that Palestinian guerrillas can no longer attack Israeli territory from Lebanon. ■ Mr Begin, whose trip was

planned long before Israel thrust into Lebanon has said that he and President Ronald Reagan will discuss Israeli proposals for the creation of an international force to police a 40km demilitarised zone in south Lebanon and keep it free of Palestinian guerrillas. In Beirut, the American Middle East special envoy. Philip Habib, arrived at the presidential palace from Syria and began talks with President Elias Sarkis. Lebanese Government sources said Mr Sarkis had asked for American pressure to make the Israelis withdraw, at least from the palace area. The palace lies only a few hundred metres from the village of Baabda, which Israeli forces occupied on Monday in a relentless drive to trap Palestinian guerrillas in west Beirut. Palestinian, Lebanese Leftist, and Shi'ite Muslim forces are now trapped between the sea to the north and west of Beirut, the Right-wing militias to the east, and the Israelis to the south. Correspondents who went to Baabda yesterday found the main street lined with Israeli armour and a colonel briefing reporters outside a chateau overlooking Beirut. The chateau had been taken over , as a brigade headquarters. Colonel Amos Neeman said that Israeli forces which had. pushed up the coast south of Beirut did not want to enter the capital. “We don't want to go to the town, we don’t want any fight in the city." •

Later in the day Beirut radio stations reported that an Israeli armoured column had driven through the edge of Rightist-held east Beirut and up into the hills beyond. State-run Beirut radio said that 40 Israeli half-tracks had taken up positions in Amnsouriye and Monteverde on the other side of a gorge through which the main Beirut-Damascus highway climbs out of the city.

Salah Khalaf, a senior aide of Yasser Arafat's, said that if the Israelis entered west Beirut the Palestinians would fight to the end. “But now we are not firing at the Israelis, we are abiding by the cease-fire." he said. An Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire was announced three days ago but the thud of artillery in the hills south of Beirut could still be heard yesterday. The Israeli Defence Minister (Mr Ariel Sharon) widely regarded as the chief architect of the campaign, said yesterday that the “fighting is practically finished except for clearing out Palestinian terrorist pockets in captured south Lebanese areas." “Now the political struggle is beginning and Israel must insist that the terrorists never again threaten our people.” Mr Sharon said that Israel, did not intend to interfere in Lebanon’s internal affairs. “Lebanon now has an historic opportunity to regain its sovereignty by overcoming its internal dissensions and forming a strong central Government and army. . “We will be happy when the Lebanese get rid of all outside forces, including Israel's,” he said. Lieutenant-General Rafael Eitan, the Chief of Staff, disclosed that 170 Israeli soldiers had been killed and about 700 wounded in the campaign. About 2000 Palestinian guerillas and 1000 Syrian soldiers had also fallen in the fighting, he said.

. Ten Israeli soldiers had been captured by enemy forces and the Israelis had taken 6000 guerrillas and 60 Syrians captive. ' General Eitan said that Israeli planes had downed 85 Syrian MiGs and five helicopters. while 300 Syrian and 100 guerrilla tanks had been destroyed. He also said that the P.L.O.'s leader. Yasser Arafat, had sought asylum in a foreign embassy in Beirut. He did not identify the embassy but said Israel knew which one. In Moscow Western diplomats said that although the Soviet Union had demanded an immediate Israeli withdrawal the Kremlin did not appear to be planning to increase its military support for Arab States. A Soviet Government statement, published yesterday by the official Tass news agency, demanded active and urgent steps to stop Israel’s military action. But the statement, though couched in stern language, did not propose any specific measures against Israel. “The Middle East is an area situated in the direct vicinity of the Soviet Union’s southern borders and events there are bound to affect the interests of the U.S.S.R. We warn Israel of this." it said. Moscow said that the Israeli raid into Lebanon was a bid at wholesale extermination and pledged support for Arab countries, "not only in words but in deeds." But Western diplomats noted that the statement, despite its stern tone, gave no hint that Moscow was considering more aid to Arab countries. The diplomats said that the wording of the statement suggested that the Kremlin was eager to play a role in any diplomatic solution of the Middle East conflict. In Riyadh. Saudi Arabia, the new King Fahd has issued an uncompromising pledge of support for Palestinian guerrillas in Lebanon.