Israeli shelling forces Christopher to cancel Beirut trip

April 23, 1996
Web posted at: 3:10 p.m. EDT (1910 GMT)

DAMASCUS, Syria (CNN) -- Israeli attacks on Beirut led Secretary of State Warren Christopher to call off a trip to the Lebanese capital, just 5 minutes before his scheduled departure, a spokesman for the official said Tuesday.

Christopher was warned by Gen. George Joulwan, the supreme allied commander in Europe, that the city and surrounding areas were unsafe.

"The Secretary is a very prudent man, and with good judgment he decided it (the trip) wasn't advisable," State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said. Christopher was to travel with 13 assistants and members of the media.

"Five minutes before leaving, (Christopher) received a red light from the United States European command," Burns said. "They had told us earlier in the day it was OK."

Christopher is trying to negotiate a cease-fire agreement between Hezbollah guerrillas and Israel, who have pounded one another with rockets and artillery over the past 13 days.

"We've been told the Lebanese want a cease-fire and want to sign on to a cease-fire," Burns said.

Christopher had planned to fly from Damascus, Syria, to Larnaca, Cyprus, then board a U.S. Army helicopter to fly to Beirut.

Assad cancels meeting

A meeting Tuesday between Christopher and Syrian President Hafez Assad was called off. Instead, the U.S. diplomat met with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shaara. Burns said the men had a "good conversation."

A senior Syrian official said Assad was "not available," because he was hosting Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Christopher met earlier Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. Afterward, Christopher said cease-fire talks had encountered problems and were at an "intense" stage.

On Monday, Christopher met with Assad to discuss a possible peace initiative. Syria plays a crucial role in negotiations because the Arab nation has strong ties to Lebanon.

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• Efforts intensify to reach Mideast cease-fire - April 23, 1996
• Cease-fire negotiations move slowly - April 22, 1996

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