Mr. Sharon confirmed that Beirut was now under siege and that Israel had new goals: the destruction of the P.L.0. bases in Beirut and the prevention of the Syrians from re-entering Beirut to help the P.L.O. He stated that as long as the P.L.O. remained in Beirut it was "hard to say that the I.D.F 's task has indeed been fully accomplished - though it may be mostly achieved. " Text:
Mr. Sharon: "Beirut is closed to terrorist and Syrian infiltration. A Syrian presence in Beirut would mean re-establishing the terrorist infrastructure. We have prevented this by the physical closure of Beirut. It is possible to leave Beirut; anyone who will lay down his arms may leave, and no one will harm him. The solution for Beirut is a blending of Lebanese domestic political ideals with the military issue, which is also Lebanese. What we have done -as a result of our action, which was meant to damage and destroy the terrorists and their infrastructure - we have created the possibility for the Lebanese to solve their own political and military problems."
Q: Are the proposals for the terrorists to lay down their arms and leave Beirut being adopted?
Mr. Sharon: "The Terrorists aren't sitting in a Garden of Eden there. The terrorists are in a tough situation, very tough. There is a large exodus of Palestinians from Beirut. We drove a lot on the road from Tyre through Sidon to Beirut. The route is full of thousands of vehicles of residents leaving Beirut and returning to their former places of residence, without any further fear of terrorists. So in Beirut itself there are difficulties, there is a siege, but other places are open. You can go to Damascus, or to areas cleaned of terrorists by the I.D.F., and such traffic has been growing for the last two days."
Q: What about Philip Habib's proposal?
Mr. Sharon: "At the moment I have no idea just where his proposal stands. We only know that Beirut itself, as both the military and political center for the terrorist organizations, cannot be left as it is. It is important to keep the Syrians from entering Beirut so as to prevent the re-establishment of the terrorist infrastructure. So long as there are terrorist headquarters in Beirut, it is hard to say that the I.D.F.'s task has indeed been fully accomplished - though it may be mostly achieved - despite the fact that the terrorists are in a tough situation."