§ 11. Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to meet the President of Lebanon.
§ 35. Mr. Woodallasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's response to the Lebanese request for a British contribution to the multinational force in Lebanon.
§ Mr. HurdMy right hon. Friend has no plans at present to meet the President of Lebanon. But he held friendly and useful discussions earlier this month with the Lebanese Foreign Minister, Dr. Salem, during his official visit to London.
Since then, as the House knows, we have decided to contribute to the multinational force in Lebanon an armoured reconnaissance unit of about 80 men for three months.
It is of the highest importance that the withdrawal of foreign forces from Lebanon should start soon. We welcome the news that negotiations between Israel and Lebanon may begin shortly. We are confident that the British contingent in the multinational force will have a useful role to play. We have recently urged both the Israeli and Syrian Governments, as well as the PLO, to take the initiative to start the withdrawal of their forces from Lebanon as soon as possible. Early progress must be made towards the restoration of the Lebanese Government's authority throughout Lebanese territory.