A Chronology of U.S.-Middle East Relations

March 8:

Secretary of State George Shultz, Undersecretary Lawrence Eagleburger and other State Department officials took part in a discussion on U.S. Middle East policy with 25 Jewish Representatives at the home of Congressman James Scheuer (D-N.Y.), who organized the event.

March 8:

At the end of a week-long visit to Egypt, former President Jimmy Carter said that during his stay he had met with officials of the PLO, and added: "I will meet with Palestinian leaders among others in Israel, Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia and some of them have been and will be, I'm sure, members of the PLO." When asked at a news conference if such contacts would have been valuable to him while he was in office Mr. Carter replied, "Yes, I often thought they would be."

March 9:

Nicholas Veliotes, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, said during testimony before the House subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East that "we (the Administration) believe it is possible to get a negotiated withdrawal of armed forces (from Lebanon) this summer." He added that the Syrians "have reconfirmed their willingness to withdraw in the context of an Israeli withdrawal" and that the PLO has said "they'd leave when the Syrians leave."

March 10:

Reversing a decision made last December but which was never officially announced, Secretary of the Interior James Watt ruled that Santa Fe International—an American subsidiary of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, owned by the Kuwait government—could not own interest in mineral exploration leases on U.S. public lands. He said Kuwait was a "non-reciprocal nation" under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920.

March 12:

A patrol of 14 U.S. marines serving with the multinational peacekeeping force in Lebanon was stopped by Israeli troops south of Beirut and made to alter their route, according to Sgt. Steve Reuss, a spokesman for the marines. He said the Israeli action was "incorrect" because the area in which the incident took place was designated for a "U.S. multinational-force patrol presence."

March 15:

Israel's Foreign Minister, Yitzhak Shamir, concluded three days of talks in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz on the withdrawal of foreign troops from Lebanon. After their final meeting Mr. Shamir told reporters: "Some new ideas have emerged. I am going home with these ideas, and we will consider it at home. I am going home with the conviction that we are nearer to a solution."

March 16:

]Five U.S. marines serving with the multinational peace-keeping force in Lebanon were slightly injured when a grenade was thrown at them while patrolling on foot south of Beirut. Eight Italian soldiers, also with the international force, were wounded less than 12 hours earlier in two separate shooting incidents.

March 16:

The two senior members of a Lebanese delegation to Washington, former Lebanese prime minister Saeb Salam and Foreign Minister Elie Salem, met with President Reagan to discuss the withdrawal of foreign troops from Lebanon. Afterwards, Mr. Salam said the President had assured them he had "no reverse gear" in his determination to see all the forces withdrawn. The delegation had also met with Secretary of State Shultz since its arrival on March 11.