Moderate Arabs Abandon Lebanon Peace Plan Effort
Moderate Arab leaders abandoned efforts to push through a Lebanon peace plan today, dashing hopes of showing the world a united Arab front and sending tension in Beirut soaring.
A stormy summit of the Arab League, which welcomed Egypt back after a decade of ostracism, gave up its search for a formula to end 14 years of civil war in Lebanon when Syria refused to pull out some of its 40,000 troops there.
Instead, the league patched together a compromise, giving summit host King Hassan of Morocco, Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd and President Chadli Benjedid of Algeria the task of continuing the search for a post-summit settlement.
The four-day summit, called originally to strengthen Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat’s hand in peace moves, ended formally with a full endorsement of his Middle East peace strategy.
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