Gemayel drafts new reforms

Press, 14 April 1984, Page 10

Gemayel drafts new reforms

NZPA-Reuter Beirut The Lebanese President, Mr Amin Gemayel, has started work on drafting a programme of political reforms to replace a plan narrowly defeated at Lebanese reconciliation talks in Switzerland three weeks ago. Dr Elie Salem, his Foreign Minister and senior envoy, had met four of the country’s most prominent Muslim politicians and religious leaders yesterday as

part of consultations on detail of the programme, State-run Beirut radio said. It gave no details of how the talks were going, but Beirut press reports said that Mr Gemayel hoped to have the programme ready in time for a meeting with the Syrian President, Mr Hafez Assad, either this week-end or early next week. All-party agreement on it would help to stabilise a . largely theoretical cease-

fire in and around Beirut and pave the way for implementation of a troop disengagement already approved by Mr Gemayel and his Muslim militia opponents. Under the plan Mr Gemayel presented at Lausanne last month the powers of the traditionally Maronite Christian Presidency would be severely curtailed in favour of the Prime Minister, always a Sunni Muslim under an agreement dating back to 1943.

A former President, Suleiman Franjieh, who went to Lausanne as a member of the mainly Muslim opposition front, objected to the change, forcing the conference to adopt a less ambitious final statement. Dr Salem visited Mr Franjieh on Thursday and also called on a Tripoli politician, Rashid Karami, the man tipped to become Prime Minister in a proposed Government of national unity.