(3 of 7)
Nonetheless, the arrangement worked out by the three governments presumably calls for the freeing of the Lebanese, perhaps as early as this week for at least some, and the U.S. had a "tacit understanding" with Israel that this would occur. An Israeli military source told the Associated Press after the Cabinet session that he expected the release of the detainees to begin within several days. At least some hiatus was necessary, he said, to prevent the appearance of a quid pro quo deal. The release schedule also depended on the security situation in southern Lebanon, he added.
The main reason for the nerve-racking 24-hour delay in the release of the hostages was a last-minute demand by Nabih Berri, leader of the Amal militia, that Washington give assurances there would be no retaliation by the U.S. or Israel against the Shi'ites after the hostages were set free. Amal spokesmen conveyed their anger at some remarkably ill-timed remarks on Friday by Reagan. In the speech in Chicago Heights, Ill., the President called the captors "murderers and barbarians," adding ominously: "Terrorists, and those who support them, must and will be held to account."
The White House privately set about "clarifying" Reagan's remarks, but by late Saturday night an official statement was deemed necessary. The State Department at 10 p.m. released a Delphic sentence presumably designed to allay the sensitivities of the Shi'ites. It stated, "The U.S. reaffirms its long- standing support for the preservation of Lebanon, its government, its stability and its security and for the mitigation of the suffering of its people." McFarlane, looking tired but sounding optimistic, had driven his own car to the White House at 6:20 a.m. on Sunday, where he confirmed that the statement was "apparently a factor" in the breakthrough. He called it "a fairly artificial requirement that came up at the eleventh hour."
Amal leaders seemed to be satisfied. One militiaman quoted Syrian officials as saying that the U.S. had given an assurance not to retaliate. As Berri explained to reporters on Sunday, "We were ready to take them to Damascus yesterday, but after Reagan threatened us we had to delay their departure. I had to talk to the hijackers and to my people."
On Sunday, however, McFarlane insisted that Reagan's statement was not responsible for the delay. Rather, he said, it was used as "a pretext" by those Shi'ites who had doubts about the arrangement. When Reagan was informed that the plan seemed to be coming unraveled, he told his aides: "Well, these things happen, but we're right in our policies and it will work out." Iran, officials suggested, probably contributed to the weekend delay. Syria, however, helped keep the diplomatic dialogue on track. It was through Syria that the U.S. learned that some declaration about no retaliation was desired. When an adviser telephoned Reagan about the proposed State Department announcement, the President said, "It's a restatement of policy. If it helps, so be it, but we're not changing course."
Another serious obstacle that developed on Saturday morning was that Berri's militia did not have control over four of the captives, who were being held by Shi'ite extremists of Hizballah (Party of God).