Americans to Continue Serving U.N. in Lebanon, Reagan Says

President Reagan, clarifying a statement by his secretary of defense, said Friday that Americans will continue serving with a U.N. force in Lebanon despite the kidnaping of Marine Lt. Col. William R. Higgins.

“We are going to meet our obligations to the United Nations,” Reagan declared hours after Defense Secretary Frank C. Carlucci hedged about the possible withdrawal of U.S. personnel. “No decision has been made,” Carlucci said on NBC-TV’s “Today” show. “We are examining their security situation.”

Carlucci added that “obviously we are concerned about our people and will work with the U.N. on it.”

Reagan told reporters at an Oval Office picture session that “on this particular subject, I feel I must straighten it out.”

‘Definitely Part’ of U.N.

Noting that U.N. forces have been in Lebanon since the late 1940s, Reagan said that “we’re very definitely a part of the United Nations.

“And of course we’re worried,” he added, “because we know that terrorists throughout the world target us as one of their targets.”

Asked if U.S. forces would be withdrawn, he said, “No.”

Reagan also sought to clarify a remark of his own, made Thursday, that “certainly we want to rescue” Higgins, who was abducted Wednesday in southern Lebanon.

As reporters and camera crews left the Oval Office, Reagan turned to visiting West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and said, “They didn’t ask the question I wanted asked.” He explained that he had wanted to clear up his “rescue” remark. But he said nothing more.

However, Administration officials said Thursday that Reagan intended merely to express the hope of seeing Higgins freed, perhaps through U.N. efforts. They said that no U.S. military operation was in the offing.

“What the President was referring to was ongoing diplomatic efforts by the United Nations and governments to obtain his release,” a White House spokesman said.

Late Friday, a Pentagon spokeswoman said that “no decision has been made” on the possible withdrawal of American servicemen from duty with U.N. observer groups in Lebanon.

“We are examining the situation,” Marine Capt. Nancy LaLuntas said.

However, she added that Carlucci’s remarks on the “Today” show “should not be interpreted as an indication that we will pull out of” the U.N. Truce Supervisory Organization.

Higgins headed the 75-man, multinational observer group attached to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.

Sixteen American servicemen serve in Lebanon as part of the U.N. observer group. Most of the Americans stay in Naqoura and do not travel far away from UNIFIL headquarters there, according to State Department spokeswoman Andrea Farsakh.

UNTSO, established in 1948 to supervise the truce which ended the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, has a Beirut observer group also, but no Americans serve with that group.

Staff writer Melissa Healy contributed to this story.