Amin Gemayel’s reconciliation offer was rejected by the Lebanese opposition, and Syria denounced the plan. Syria’s official press agency described it as a ”trick that has been unmasked.” Opposition officials in Lebanon indicated that they felt it was too late to repair relations between them and Mr. Gemayel. They said there had been a total breakdown of trust and confidence and that the only solution they would accept was Mr. Gemayel’s resignation. They said this view was shared by the Syrians, although Damascus has been been reluctant to declare it publicly. And in a surprise move, the Phalangist militia, differing with its parent Phalange political party, headed by Mr. Gemayel’s father, also rejected the proposal and reiterated its support for the May 17 accord. The Shiite leader Nabih Berri was quoted today as saying that he would not even consider the plan until President Gemayel accepted ”responsibility for the massacre of the southern suburbs” by the Lebanese Army. The southern suburbs of Beirut are heavily populated by Shiite Muslims. It was not clear what specific incident Mr. Berri was referring to.
Tonight, heavy fighting broke out in the capital and to the east between anti-Gemayel militias and units of the Lebanese Army still loyal to the President. At the same time, another large-scale tank, machine-gun and rocket battle erupted along the so-called green line between Christian East Beirut, where the Phalangist militia and pro-Gemayel army units are based, and Muslim West Beirut, where the Shiite and Druze militiamen and rebel army factions are in control.
Meanwhile, the American Marine contingent continued to strip down its compound at Beirut airport in preparation for the evacuation of the 1,400 marines remaining on shore. A spokesman, Colonel Edward McDonald, said the marines were awaiting orders from Washington about when to begin the final evacuation to the ships and who should be given control of their positions. The land around the marines is held by Druze and Shiite militiamen and dissident Lebanese Army units.
Long-term occupation of a zone in southern Lebanon is being planned by Israel in view of the announcement by President Gemayel that he will cancel a 1983 security accord with Israel. The zone’s boundaries were not defined, but Israeli officials said the army would pull back from positions at the Awali River to a line closer to the Israeli-Lebanese border and leave such major population centers as the coastal city of Sidon.
The Voice of the Mountain radio controlled by the Druze leader Walid Jumblat said of the President’s eight-point reconciliation plan worked out with Saudi Arabia: ”The shah of Baabda is begging for a reprieve, but it won’t come. The best service he can do for Lebanon is to pack and go.”
The Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, arrived in Damascus tonight carrying the eight-point proposal signed by President Gemayel. It included an offer to abrogate the May 17 Israel-Lebanon withdrawal accord provided the Syrians agreed to withdraw their forces simultaneously with the Israelis and reconcile themselves with Mr. Gemayel’s regime. Both the Syrian Foreign Minister, Abdel Halim Khaddam, and a spokesman for the Information Ministry were clearly upset at the points in the proposal that called for guarantees for Israeli security in south Lebanon and for the simultaneous withdrawal of Syrian and Israeli forces after 90 days. The Syrians, who were not a party to the United States-sponsored May 17 accord, have consistently argued that their forces are in Lebanon at the official invitation of the Lebanese Government and an Arab League mandate and should in no way be equated with the Israeli occupation force, which they say must withdraw ”unconditionally.”
The President seeks a four-fold rise in military aid to El Salvador this year in legislation sent to Congress. An increase to a level of $243.5 million this year is sought without making it strictly conditional on ”demonstrated progress” on human rights that was recommended by the commission on Central America. Except for the human rights provision, the Mr. Reagan adopted the commission’s proposals for a broad aid program for Central America.
President Reagan is briefed on a covert CIA operation involving an AC-130 gunship providing strikes against the rebels in El Salvador.
The White House announced today that Harry W. Schlaudeman, 57 years old, a career diplomat, would become the President’s new special envoy to Central America, replacing Richard B. Stone, who is resigning at the end of this month. Mr. Schlaudeman, who has served as Ambassador to Venezuela, Agrentina and Peru, was recently the executive director of President Reagan’s commission on Central America. State Department officials said Mr. Stone, a Democrat and former Florida Senator, had resigned because of personal differences with Langhorne A. Motley, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, and not because of policy differences.
Chancellor Helmut Kohl has decided to press President Reagan and the new Soviet leader, Konstantin U. Chernenko, to hold a summit meeting that he hopes would lead to a resumption of talks on limiting nuclear arms, a high aide to the West German leader says. According to one of the Chancellor’s closest advisers, who accompanied him to Moscow for the funeral of Yuri V. Andropov, Mr. Kohl urged the new Soviet party chief to meet soon with the American President but received no response. On a visit to Washington early next month, Mr. Kohl will make a similar appeal to Mr. Reagan, the aide said.
The adviser reported that the Russian leader, in his meeting with Mr. Kohl, said ”all Soviet offers are still on the table” regarding nuclear arms reduction but did not indicate whether Moscow expected the Geneva negotiations on medium-range and strategic arms to resume soon. ”We came to the conclusion,” the adviser said, ”that there is a major chance for resumption because there is a new Soviet leadership that is not under the pressure of losing face if it comes back to the talks. But in Moscow the conditions for a resumption were not laid out.”
Mr. Kohl’s talks in Moscow included an extensive and apparently cordial meeting with Erich Honecker, the East German Communist Party chief, and a talk with Vice President Bush. In Moscow, the first encounter between Mr. Kohl and Mr. Honecker went so smoothly that the Chancellor unexpectedly invited the East German leader to dinner, where they continued their talks. Much of Bonn’s thinking on what the Soviet Union is likely to do under Mr. Chernenko appears to be filtered through an appraisal by Mr. Honecker, who has known the new Soviet leader for nearly two decades. Suggestively, on the day Mr. Chernenko was named the new General Secretary of the Communist Party, Mr. Honecker issued a new appeal for detente and cooperation between the two German states. ”We are persuaded,” he said, ”that the dark clouds of war danger, which fill people with fear, will be driven away.” Mr. Kohl’s aide said: ”Honecker knows what kind of politics Chernenko will follow. Honecker believes it’s going to go in this direction.”
Italy’s Red Brigades guerrilla group claimed responsibility today for the slaying of a United States diplomat in Rome. The diplomat, Leamon R. Hunt, was shot dead outside his home Wednesday in the first major attack by the left- wing guerrillas since the Italian authorities began a crackdown in 1982. Mr. Hunt, 56 years old, was director general of the United Nations multinational force in Sinai, which oversees compliance with the Camp David accords between Egypt and Israel. An anonymous caller to the newspaper La Repubblica said a declaration from the Red Brigades could be found in a trash can in Rome.
Angry truck drivers jammed the main roads leading to the French Alps on Friday and stranded thousands of French vacationers on their annual winter ski holiday. Police spokesmen, who described the truck blockade as the worst traffic jam in the country’s history, went on television to call on French motorists to postpone their vacations and keep off the roads. The French government ordered its riot police to clear the roads of the parked tractor-trailers, which were left by drivers protesting delays at the French-Italian border caused by a two-week slowdown of customs officials.
It was not clear how long it would take the riot police to have the trucks moved out of the way. Government officials said that the drivers would be asked to move the trucks voluntarily and that, if this was refused, the army might be called in to tow the trucks away with heavy equipment. Max Gallo, spokesman for the government of President Francois Mitterrand, said the police had been instructed to do their job “as peacefully as possible.” He added, “We are not seeking a confrontation.” The government task may have been made easier by an appeal from the president of the National Road Transportation Federation, one of the country’s two main trucker organizations, for drivers to end their blockade. Maurice Voiron, the group’s president, said the government had agreed to their demand to improve customs procedures at the border.
President Reagan receives Prince Rainier III of the Principality of Monaco for a reception and dinner.
An opponent of President Marcos was arrested at Manila’s airport and charged with illegally carrying a handgun. Salvador H. Laurel, a former Senator and leader of an opposition coalition was arrested as he was about to leave for speaking engagements in the United States. This morning, Mr. Marcos ordered that the charges against Mr. Laurel be ”reinvestigated,” and that pending the result, Mr. Laurel be released ”without prejudice” and allowed to travel to the United States where he had speaking engagements. Mr. Laurel and opposition leaders had accused the Marcos Government of arranging the incident to prevent Mr. Laurel from keeping his speaking engagements. Airport security officers said they had found a gold-plated Luger in Mr. Laurel’s baggage. On being taken to a city prosecutor’s office, Mr. Laurel issued a statement in which he accused the security officers of ”not telling the truth.”
Sikh gunmen, some firing from the rooftops of their holiest shrine, fought the police for nearly seven hours today in a battle that left two dead and three injured. The battle at the Golden Temple at Amritsar raised to 17 the number of people killed in four days of ethnic strife in the northern state of Punjab. The Indian Cabinet met in emergency session to discuss the violence in Punjab, where militant Sikhs have mounted a drive for economic and political autonomy for the state. The authorities said Sikh militants had opened fire from the Golden Temple in Amritsar on paramilitary policemen, who fired back. A Sikh and a laborer were killed.
Confusion in state action on EDB in food has resulted from guidelines issued this month by the Environmental Protection Agency. Some states are rigorously testing products and enforcing the guidelines the EPA set this month for safe levels of EDB, or ethylene dibromide. Other states have set standards stricter than the Federal ones. Still others have taken little or no action.
The future of Los Angeles is being shaped by powerful forces that begin beyond its borders, leaders of the city who attended a conference were told. An examination of the city’s future found that these forces are the economic awakening of the Far East, which is transforming Los Angeles into a thriving financial center, and the millions of immigrants from Latin America and Asia.
Women have been helped most by the economic recovery, which has benefited every American, President Reagan said. His defense of his record on seeking equality for women was made at a meeting of Republican women who are officeholders, at a time when a number of polls have indicated women favor Democrats more than men do, a finding that some experts believe could play a major role in the outcome of the fall Presidential election.
In his speech to the Republican women, Mr. Reagan noted that even before women were given the Federal right to vote in 1920 ”our party became the first to elect a woman to the United States Congress.” He added, ”That’s the Republican Party’s position, and I’m determined to build on it.” The first woman to become a member of Congress was Jeannette Rankin, a Montana Republican, who served in 1917-19 and again in 1940-42. Mr. Reagan also noted that he had named three women to Cabinet positions, that both women in the Senate were Republicans and that more than 1,000 women were serving in policy-making positions in his Administration.
Tired and perspiring, Walter F. Mondale climbed aboard his airplane in San Juan Airport the other afternoon after a tumultuous rally at a local sports arena. The candidate asked an aide how many more events were scheduled that day. The aide replied there were a news conference and a rally in West Palm Beach, Florida. Mr. Mondale rolled his eyes, slumped in his seat with a soda and stared out the window as the plane lifted over Puerto Rico. Although the former Vice President is leading in the polls for the Democratic Presidential nomination, he is running hard — ”running scared,” said one of his aides the other night. Even his associates concede Mr. Mondale’s energy surprises them, especially in view of the fact that a decade ago he decided not to run for President because of the rigors and loneliness of a long campaign.
Moreover, the candidate’s staff is a bit mystified at his lackluster interest in food to fuel his energy. His advance teams in Iowa and New Hampshire are informed before Mr. Mondale arrives on a trip that the candidate’s breakfast consists only of a large glass of tomato juice and coffee. On the campaign plane he munches on an apple. In the 12-hour and 14-hour days, his voice sometimes weakens by early evening, his eyes turn red, his speeches veer from fiery to tepid, depending on his level of fatigue. He also turns short-tempered, When a reporter asked him the other day why the question of labor’s influence in his campaign persisted, Mr. Mondale responded angrily, ”Because people like you keep asking.” Mr. Mondale’s aides winced, because the television cameras were on and plainly showed a weary candidate. To shore up the candidate’s energy, Mr. Mondale’s staff members inevitably provide ”down time” for Mr. Mondale. This consists of two hours in a hotel, where he checks into a suite to phone Washington, take a shower and change his clothes, to rest.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pleaded guilty today to a felony charge of possessing heroin aboard an airline flight to Rapid City. The 30-year-old son of Robert F. Kennedy admitted he had two-tenths of a gram of heroin in his possession when he was taken off a Republic Airlines plane last September 11. John Fitzgerald, one of Mr. Kennedy’s lawyers, said that at the time Mr. Kennedy ”was coming to South Dakota for treatment, realizing he had a problem” with drugs. Judge Marshall Young of State Circuit Court ordered a presentencing investigation by a Rapid City probation officer. Mr. Kennedy, who was released on a personal recognizance bond, will be sentenced March 16.
A three-member panel named by the Department of Energy went to the Nevada Test Site today to investigate a ground collapse that injured 14 workers after a nuclear explosion. Robert H. Thalgott, a retired former nuclear test manager, was designated as chairman of the panel. The three members went to the snow-covered site at Rainier Mesa, 93 miles northwest of here, to view wreckage of equipment and interview workers about the incident Wednesday. A 30-foot pit opened up as a team of scientists and technicians were detaching cables running from the nuclear test chamber to monitoring equipment in trailers above the blast site. After the explosion, the earth gave way overhead, smashing equipment and hurling the workers to the ground. The Energy Department said there were no radiation leaks from the blast.
Stormie Jones, the 6-year-old girl who had the world’s first simultaneous heart and liver transplants, greeted her mother today with ”I love you” and sat in a chair for the first time since the operation, the hospital in Pittsburgh reported. Stormie, of Cumby, Texas, was allowed to sit up for 15 to 20 minutes in a chair in her room, said a spokesman for Children’s Hospital, Dick Riebling.
Five days of pretrial testimony ended today in the case of Lenell Geter, a black engineer who was given a life sentence for a 1982 armed robbery. Judge John Ovard of District Court said he planned to announce decisions Saturday on five defense motions, the most important being a request that he dismiss the case on the ground of police misconduct. Defense attorneys say Mr. Geter’s arrest and conviction were a result of racism and shoddy police work. Mr. Geter was granted a new trial in December after news reports raised questions about the fairness of his arrest and trial. But prosecutors say they have ample evidence, including some not yet introduced, to prove that Mr. Geter is guilty of the robbery in August 1982 of a fried chicken restaurant in the Dallas suburb of Balch Springs and perhaps guilty in other robberies as well. The case is scheduled to go to trial April 9.
The nation’s largest landfill began today producing electrical energy from methane gas emitted by 10,000 tons of garbage dumped each day. The Puente Hills landfill methane station in California uses a new technology, burning the natural gas in turbine engines similar to jet engines, to produce 2.8 megawatts of power daily, enough to serve about 5,600 homes.
34th Berlin International Film Festival: “Love Streams” wins the Golden Bear.
President Reagan telephoned his congratulations ”on behalf of all Americans” to Scott Hamilton today. Hamilton, a 25-year-old from Denver, won the gold medal in men’s figure skating on Thursday. An aide said the President would have called the downhill skiing gold medalist, Bill Johnson of Van Nuys, California, but Johnson was traveling and could not be reached.
Canada built a wall to contain the Soviet Union’s hockey scoring machine tonight, but the unbeaten Soviet squad still managed a 4-0 victory that assured a gold-medal showdown with Czechoslovakia Sunday at the XIV Olympic Winter Games. Czechoslovakia extended its perfect record by shutting out Sweden, 2-0. It was the second consecutive shutout for Jaromir Shindel, who has allowed only four goals in six games – the same number permitted by his celebrated Soviet counterpart, Vladislav Tretiak. ”I’m assuming the gold-medal game will be close,” Dave King, the Canadian coach, said. ”The Soviets should be favored, but the Czechs are capable of giving them a very good game.” The United States claimed seventh place in the 12-team competition by outscoring Poland, 7-4.
Paoletta Magoni of Italy mastered a steep, fog-shrouded slalom course today to win the gold medal at the XIV Olympic Winter Games, beating Perrine Pelen of France and Ursula Konzett of Liechtenstein. Miss Magoni, one of six children of a bricklayer, became the first Italian woman to win an Olympic Alpine skiing race and the victory gave Italy its second gold medal here. Paul Hildgartner finished first in the men’s single luge on Sunday. Tamara McKinney of Lexington, Kentucky, last year’s World Cup champion and a favorite in this event, and Christin Cooper of Sun Valley, Idaho, failed to finish after straddling gates in the first of two heats.
Sergei Buligin overtook Frank Ullrich of East Germany in the final lap, then held off challenges from fast-closing Norwegian and West German competitors today to give the Soviet Union its fifth consecutive Olympic victory in the 4-x-7.5- kilometer biathlon relay. The Soviet victory continued a streak that began when the event was added to the Olympic Winter Games in 1968 at Grenoble, France. Biathletes Eirik Kvalfoss of Norway and West German Peter Angerer finished 2nd & 3rd respectively in the relay.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 1148.87 (-6.07).
Born:
Marcin Gortat, Polish NBA center and power forward (Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers), in Łódź, Poland.
Drew Miller, NHL left wing (NHL Champions, Stanley Cup-Ducks, 2007; Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings), in Dover, New Jersey.
Peter Mannino, NHL goalie (New York Islanders, Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets), in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Marcus Hamilton, NFL defensive back (Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers), in Fairfax, Virginia.
Jimmy Jacobs, American professional wrestler (Ring of Honor), born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Died:
Lucille Benson, 69, American actress (“Halloween II”, “1941”, “Bosom Buddies”), of liver cancer.
History Diaries 