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Next came the disappointment in Damascus. After a five-hour meeting with Assad, Shultz frankly admitted that the two of them had "argued" over the Israeli-Lebanese accord, with the discussion going "round and round." That is very strong language in the codes of diplomacy. Assad's main complaint: the agreement infringes on Lebanese sovereignty by granting Israel the right to maintain a buffer zone along the common border. Assad demanded that the accord be renegotiated before he discussed withdrawing Syrian troops, but Shultz refused. The best the two men could do was agree to a vague statement about "the importance of a strong, free, sovereign Lebanon with a strong central government." A U.S.-Syrian working group was set up to discuss ways of achieving that objective. But Shultz admitted that the group's formation was "not a big deal," and the Syrian press did not even bother to mention it.
In Jerusalem, where Shultz talked with Prime Minister Menachem Begin and other Israeli officials for nearly three hours, the major topic was troop redeployment. Since the cease-fire in Lebanon last August, Israel has been suffering a slow but steady toll of casualties. By deploying its troops along a more defensible line to the south, probably along the Awali River, Israeli officials believe they can more easily wait out Assad. Said a senior Israeli official: "If Syria insists on refusing to withdraw, the U.S. will understand we have to redeploy ourselves in the most effective way possible."
Unless President Reagan can persuade Begin to change his mind when the two meet in Washington later this month, Israel will almost surely move its troops. But then who would patrol the territory once protected by the Israelis? The Lebanese Army would be the nominal guardian, but Gemayel is counting on the multinational peace-keeping forces stationed in Beirut to assist in the task. It is by no means certain that the U.S. or the other three members (France, Italy, Great Britain) would agree. Said Shultz: "If the proposal is to get the Israelis out and let someone else take the casualties, that would not be a very appealing proposition to put to Congress."
Symbolically enough, as the Secretary of State moved through the Middle East last week, violence was never far away. In Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, several Arabs stabbed an Israeli student to death in the crowded marketplace. The Israeli military authorities responded by dismissing the town's Arab mayor and municipal council. In Beirut, Lebanese Prime Minister Chafik al Wazzan barely escaped being assassinated while driving to his office. Only moments after the Lebanese leader's motorcade had passed, a Honda Civic laden with some 150 lbs. of TNT and mines blew up. No one was killed, but that was only because most of the explosives failed to go off.
—By James Kelly. Reported by Harry Kelly/Jerusalem and Johanna McGeary with Shultz