Correspondents' Correspondence "Seizing" Lebanon

...Correspondents' Correspondence BRIEF TAKEOUTS OF MORE THAN PERSONAL INTEREST FROM LETTERS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED BY THE EDITORS "Seizing" Lebanon United Nations—The morning before the General Assembly convened here last month, a UN undersecretary for political and General Assembly affairs called a press conference to brief correspondents on "nonsubstantive matters " Moving the meeting along uncontroversially, he introduced his peers, spoke about the procedures for welcoming the Republic of Djibouti and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the two new member states, announced exactly how many speakers would get to the rostrum on the first day of the Assembly, and mentioned that President Jimmy Carter "of the host country" was expected to appear on October 4 The atmosphere in the pleasant, airconditioned room, adorned with the impressive UN insignia, was cordial and genteel Until, that is, I decided to pose a "substantive" question "Has any member state asked that the war in Lebanon be placed on the agenda...

...The official replied tersely, "No Not one,' and turned to other queries I brought up the wat because for two years now, the United Nations has managed to ignore it The rationale has been, the Undersecretary told me after the meeting, that "the states in the area have preferred to treat the Lebanese conflict in a regional context, as an Arab League responsibility " Following the wishes of the Arab countries, the United Nations has not "formally seized" the question, meaning that it cannot be discussed in either Security Council or General Assembly And so a "conflict" that has killed more than 40,000, wounded 100,000 more, and paralyzed a nation has received no attention here—even though the UN has declared the 1970s to be its "Decade of Action " Yet my question must have struck some sensitive chord high up in the elegant skyscraper of the Secretariat—perhaps on the 38th floor, where Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim has his offices For 20 minutes after 1 asked it, another conference was called, this one presided over by the unflappable Bill Powell, director of press and publications Very quietly, Powell said, "The Secretary-General has prepared a statement on Lebanon which 1 will read to you at dictation speed "The Secretary-General has been following the situation in Southern Lebanon closely and with increasing concern He has received information from the United Nations Military Observers in the area, and a report on this subject will be published today Recent reports from United Nations and other sources also indicate an increase both in tension and in the intensity of the fighting Evidently, an escalation of hostilities in Southern Lebanon has considerable implications in the wider context of the Middle East problem "At a time when strenuous efforts are being made to find a way to resume the negotiating process on the Middle East, it is particularly important that maximum restraint be exercised on all sides The Secretary-General therefore appeals to all concerned to end the fighting and to avoid any measures likely to aggravate the situation " In other words, while the whole UN has still not "formally seized" the Lebanese war, Kurt Waldheim himself has gone on record as being worried Ironically, too, the issue may yet be forced to the Assembly floor—as the Egyptian foreign minister has suggested—because of Israel's support of the Lebanese Christians Outside the UN, the Arab states have been bitterly condemning the Israelis for supplying their northern neighbors with armaments, artillery and tanks (without mentioning, of course, the extensive medical help the Jewish State has provided Christians and Moslems alike through its "Good Fences" program) Even if the issue is brought up at the world body, though, the real Lebanese tragedy is likely to be obscured by the usual rhetorical haze During the first plenary, on the same afternoon of the same day Waldheim sent his message to the press, new Assembly President Lazar Mojsov ot Yugoslavia had not a word to say about Lebanon, or am other current wars, in his long acceptance speech He did, however, zero in on Israel tor "during the legitimate national right', ot the Palestinian people " Gertrude Samuels...