Now, Shultz meets Begin

Press, 8 July 1983, Page 6

Now, Shultz meets Begin

NZPA-Reuter Jerusalem The Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Menachem Begin, was expected to brief the American Secretary of State, Mr George Shultz, today on Israel’s plans to pull back its forces in Lebanon to safer positions — a move that Lebanese officials fear will lead to the partition of their country.

A meeting of Ministers and generals drew up the plans yesterday as one way of protecting Israeli soldiers from guerrilla attack, but no final decision was taken. Mr Shultz arrived in Jerusalem after a five-hour meeting in Damascus with President Hafez Assad, of

Syria, who dashed any American hopes that Syria would come round to accepting an American sponsored pact under which Israel would make a conditional withdrawal of its troops from the whole of Lebanon.

Syria has repeatetjly denounced the LebaneseIsraeli pact and says that only an unconditional Israeli withdrawal will persuade it to pull out its forces.

After Mr Shultz left for Jerusalem the Syrian Government said that Mr Assad had again made it clear that Syria was irrevocably opposed to the accord. Mr Shultz, talking to reporters, frankly acknow-

ledged that there had been no agreement. He said that the basic difference was over whether the accord, which gives Israel a 30km security zone in the south, violated Lebanese sovereignty. Mr Shultz did come away with a small consolation — an agreement to set up an American-Syrian working group to study what he called their shared position, that Lebanon had to be free and sovereign and with a strong central government.

He had set himself limited objectives in his talks with Mr Assad, saying that he was going to Damascus and other Middle East capitals to listen and

gather information. Mr Shultz found that Syrian Government policy matched its rhetoric, and prospects for achieving the American goal of a Lebanon free of foreign forces appeared more distant than ever. Senior Lebanese officials, told reporters this week that the redeployment southwards envisaged by Israel should be linked to a timetable for a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.

But Israel refuses to withdraw until Syria and the Palestine Liberation Organisation also agree to leave Lebanon.