Interview with Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" July 28, 1993

                INTERVIEW WITH AMBASSADOR ITAMAR RABINOVICH ON
                NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO'S "ALL THINGS CONSIDERED" 
                                 July 28, 1993 

 
ROBERT SIEGEL, Host: Itamar Rabinovich is Israel's ambassador to the United 
States and he has been a negotiator at the peace talks in Washington, dealing 
particularly with the Syrians, in the past.  [interviewing] Ambassador 
Rabinovich, I'd like to ask you first about the reports we hear of so many 
people in southern Lebanon heading north for Beirut, while, indeed, Guerrillas 
for Hezbollah seem to remain behind in the south and continue to fire rockets 
toward Israel.  Is it, in fact, Israeli policy to- to try to press the 
refugees toward the north so that Beirut will take notice of what's happening? 
 
AMBASSADOR ITAMAR RABINOVICH: Not really.  You also have to look at it 
symmetrically in the context of lots of people in northern Israel moving 
south. Now, we do not think that the- the real address is the government of 
Lebanon. When we look at the realities of Lebanese and Middle Eastern 
politics, we know that Syria holds sway in Lebanon, that Iran meddles in 
Lebanon - the Hezbollah is, in fact, a direct arm of the Iranian government - 
that it is acting in south Lebanon and in the rest of Lebanon with the 
sufferance of Syria.  And, we think that the real address for putting an end 
to all of this and to the cycle of violence is in Damascus and is in Tehran.    
 
SIEGEL: President Clinton yesterday praised Syria - that is, praised President 
Hafez al Assad in Damascus - for showing restraint.  Do you share his- his 
estimate of President Assad's conduct? 
 
AMB. RABINOVICH: I like him - appreciate the fact that Syria did not join the 
fray - but I'm less sanguine about the overall performance of Syria in all of 
this, because Syria very much lit the fires.  It is now watching them 
passively and doesn't walk into the fray, but we are mindful of the role Syria 
has played in the past three weeks.  After all, the events in Lebanon have 
been preceded by two weeks of violence by not just Hezbollah, but also by the 
Palestinian organization of Ahmed [inaudible], which has its headquarters in 
Damascus, taking part in the violence.  And, Syria did little to prevent all 
of this and maybe did something in order to encourage all of this and 
therefore we do not feel like commending Syria at this time. 
 
SIEGEL: How do you respond to this analysis, that we've heard from Arab 
commentators from Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere - and it is that so long as 
Israel keeps forces in southern Lebanon, there will be attacks on those forces 
in southern Lebanon.  And if, indeed, Israel were to withdraw from southern 
Lebanon, then the government's concern - mostly Lebanon - would police the 
area and- and restore order.  And, that the attacks across the border into 
Israel may be exceptional and provocative, but so long as you have troops 
there, you're going to be fighting with people. 
 
AMB. RABINOVICH: I would answer in the following fashion- Most of what is in 
the security zone is not Israeli, but a local militia.  We lay no claims to 
any part of Lebanon.  We do not wish to remain in the southern part of 
Lebanon.  What we really want to see is a functioning Lebanese state, a 
functioning Lebanese government - a Lebanese state - capable of exercising its 
sovereignty and jurisdiction in all parts of the state and guaranteeing peace 
and security; first and foremost in south Lebanon and then from south Lebanon 
into Israel. And, once that becomes the case, we will have no desire of 
remaining in Lebanon physically. 
 
And finally, we are - let us not forget that - in the midst of a peace 
process. Secretary Christopher's trip to the Middle East over the weekend is 
designed to deal primarily with the underlying issues of the peace process.  
We think that the real solution to many of the problems - maybe all of the 
problems - that we are dealing with now is in agreements to be reached between 
Syria and Israel. And, once that happens, the Syrians would authorize the 
Lebanese to proceed with an agreement of their own.  And, our real hopes lie 
in that direction. 
 
SIEGEL: Ambassador Rabinovich, thank you very much for talking with us today. 
 
AMB. RABINOVICH: Thank you very much. 
 

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