U.S. Condemns Syrian Role in Escalated Beirut Fighting

The State Department on Friday condemned the escalated fighting in Beirut and took the unusual step of singling out Syria for its role in the latest round of battles between Christian and Syrian forces.

“The United States condemns the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent people and the renewed use of heavy-caliber weapons, such as the 240-millimeter mortar, which are in the Syrian arsenal,” said State Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler.

“We again call upon Syria, an active participant in the fighting, the Lebanese armed forces, as well as the various Lebanese factions, for an immediate cease-fire, the lifting of all blockades and the initiation of a dialogue for the political reconstruction of Lebanon,” she added.

The State Department has in the past generally refrained from singling out the combatants by name , preferring to call for restraint by both sides.

The latest round of fighting in the five-month artillery war over control of Beirut came Friday, when Syrian and Christian gunners dueled with artillery launchers, killing 10 people and wounding 40.

The fighting followed 15 hours of fierce fighting Thursday that escalated sharply when Syrian gunners targeted the presidential palace with 240-millimeter mortars. At least 22 people were killed in Thursday’s shelling.

“The escalation and the shellings and the dramatic increase in casualties give urgent impetus to our call for the Arab League to overcome the obstructions facing it and resume its efforts on behalf of the people of Lebanon,” Tutwiler said.

2 Months of Talks

But an Arab League committee made up of the heads of state of Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Morocco has failed in two months of mediation to end the carnage.

In a related development, U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar on Friday summoned the five permanent members of the Security Council--Britain, France, the United States, the Soviet Union and China--to discuss the deteriorating situation in Lebanon.

None of the participants would give details of the 30-minute meeting at the New York headquarters of the United Nations.