Cease-Fire Declared by Shias in Beirut Battle : Syria Reportedly Agrees to Send Troops Back to Shattered City at President Gemayel’s Request

Shia Muslim forces declared a unilateral cease-fire Friday in their fierce 12-day battle with Palestinian guerrillas that has left more than 400 dead and at least 1,700 wounded.

The cease-fire order coincided with the return of President Amin Gemayel from a three-day trip to Damascus and reports that Syria has agreed to send its army back to Beirut to help restore peace.

“Syrian President Hafez Assad, in response to a request by Lebanon, has in principle agreed to expand the role of Syrian troops already deployed in Lebanon,” the pro-Syrian newspaper Al Hakika said Friday.

The cease-fire, proclaimed by the Shia Amal militia, halted most of the violence around the three besieged Palestinian refugee camps south of Beirut. Some sporadic sniper fire was reported.

Surround Three Camps

“We will not fire back unless the Palestinians launch a major operation,” an Amal spokesman said.

In the battle for control of the area, Shia Muslim forces on May 19 surrounded three refugee camps south of Beirut--Sabra, Shatila and Bourj Barajneh--and demanded that Palestinian fighters surrender their weapons.

When they refused, the Shias unleashed artillery and mortar barrages and attacked the camps.

A Palestinian official, in a telephone call from one of the devastated camps, said Friday that his men had no interest in continuing the battle but would fight on if pressured.

“This cease-fire opens the way for evacuating the wounded and gives political efforts a chance to succeed,” the Palestinian said. “But one thing should remain clear. We will never hand over our weapons to anyone. We will fight and we will never allow anyone to disarm us.”

Earlier, Palestinian sources conceded losing contact with their fighters in Sabra, but stopped short of acknowledging defeat. They said sporadic clashes continued in the nearby Shatila and Bourj Barajneh refugee camps.

In London, Amnesty International called for an investigation into reports that Palestinian prisoners and civilians had been tortured and executed during the battle.

“Many Palestinians have gone missing after being captured by Amal forces,” an Amnesty statement said.

Before the cease-fire was announced, Shia militiamen launched mop-up operations into the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps to clean out pockets of resistance. Amal sources said that in one such operation, 30 Palestinian fighters were taken prisoner and several others were killed in hand-to-hand combat.

“We are in effective control of Sabra and Shatila,” an Amal spokesman said. “They (Palestinians) are still in Bourj Barajneh, where the cease-fire is generally holding despite the occasional gunfire.”

Lebanese government sources said that Gemayel and Assad, during their meetings in Damascus, examined “an integrated political and security program” to prevent recurring bouts of factional fighting in Lebanon and to end 10 years of bloodshed.

“The security program would call for the formation of a joint Lebanese-Syrian military force entrusted with collecting weapons from rival Lebanese militias and Palestinian camps, and impose law and order throughout Lebanon,” said a Lebanese government official who declined to be identified.

He said that Gemayel was insisting that “everyone must be disarmed, including the Palestinians.”