Shelling of civilian areas in Beirut resumed as heavy fighting broke out along the Green Line dividing East and West Beirut. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s political leaders prepared for talks among Lebanon’s warring factions in Switzerland Monday. In the meantime, the leader of the Phalangist militia warned that his group would shell Beirut International Airport if the Muslim leadership in West Beirut tried to open it. The renewed fighting today involved what the Beirut radio called “an all-out blowup” along the line separating predominantly Christian East Beirut and the Muslim western part of the city.
The explosion of artillery shells and rocket-propelled grenades could be heard in various parts of the capital into the night. Fierce automatic rifle and machine-gun fire erupted between Lebanese Army troops in East Beirut and the Muslim militias in the West. The shelling of civilian areas, which had largely let up after President Amin Gemayel’s Government canceled Lebanon’s troop withdrawal accord with Israel, also resumed. Civilian neighborhoods in both East and West Beirut came under artillery attacks. In East Beirut, the shelling from Muslim positions was concentrated at the edge of Ashrafiye, which has regularly been the target of artillery fire. But shells also landed in neighborhoods in West Beirut, with one shell landing along the waterfront in the neighborhood where the United States Embassy is located. Fadi Frem, the Phalangist militia commander, said in an interview today that his group could not accept the opening of the Beirut airport under current conditions.
Mr. Frem said that if the airport remained in control of the Muslim militias, it would be unsafe for Christians to use it. “We will not allow the opening of the airport for one part of Beirut only,” he said. Asked how his group would prevent the airport from opening, Mr. Frem replied, “We’ll shell it.”
Some key Congressmen are trying to block the Reagan Administration’s proposed sales of portable antiaircraft missiles to Jordan and Saudi Arabia. They said the effort had the backing of Republicans and Democrats in both houses and the support of a leading pro-Israeli lobbying group. So far, the drive has been conducted largely behind the scenes. Nevertheless, the effort is regarded with serious concern by Administration officials who view the proposed sales as important to American standing with moderate Arab nations in the aftermath of the setback to American interests in Lebanon. State Department officials said today that King Hussein of Jordan had made the sale of the advanced missiles a test of the Reagan Administration’s ability to carry out its commitments in the face of expected Israeli opposition. With Washington counting on Jordan eventually entering into negotiations with Israel, some department officials say the Stinger sale has taken on even more importance as an incentive to King Hussein.
On March 1 the Defense Department informed Congress that it intended in 30 days to sell Jordan 1,613 Stingers valued at $133 million. In addition, it said it would sell Saudi Arabia 1,200 Stingers worth $140 million. The Saudis are paying more for fewer missiles because they are buying more launchers than Jordan. Before a Supreme Court decision last year, the sales could have been stopped if majorities of both houses of Congress voted against them. But the Court ruled out such Congressional vetoes. Now, legislation has to be adopted to block a sale.
Iran charged again today that Iraqi forces were using chemical weapons in their attempt to retake an artificial island that Iranian forces seized in southern border marshlands two weeks ago. An Iranian military communique, broadcast by the Teheran radio and monitored here, said Iraq had “resorted to the use of chemical bombs” in the area of the island of Majnoon north of the Iraqi port of Basra. The Iranian communique said that more than 2,000 Iraqi soldiers had been killed or wounded in fighting in the area in the last three days. It said dozens of Iranian soldiers had been wounded by chemical weapons and had been taken to treatment centers. Iraq made no reference in its battle statements to the new Iranian charges. It has previously issued several denials of accusations that it has used chemical weapons, and it has denounced the United States State Department for saying “available evidence” suggested that the Iraqis had used such weapons.
The Akademiska University Clinic in Uppsala, Sweden, reported today the death of a 17-year-old Iranian soldier who had been treated for what Iran says was exposure to chemical weapons. It was the third death among 15 Iranians sent abroad for emergency care for wounds Iran said resulted from chemical weapons. One other died in Sweden, and the third in Vienna. Reports broadcast today by the Baghdad radio said Iraqi forces had killed 246 Iranians, shot down 2 Iranian helicopter gunships and sunk 11 small boats in daylong ground and air battles east of Basra.
Iran gave permission to Austrian doctors today to perform an autopsy in case of any more deaths of its soldiers under treatment in Vienna for what Iran said were the effects of chemical poisoning. Doctors said the Iranian authorities had refused on religious grounds to allow an autopsy on the body of a 42- year-old man who died at the Vienna General Hospital on Tuesday. Four Iranians out of the 10 flown here March 2 for treatment are on the critical list, doctors at the hospital said. Iran’s Ambassador to Austria, Mohammad Kiyarashi, said the soldiers here were suffering from the effects of mustard gas, a blistering agent that damages any tissue it touches, or some similar chemical agent. Viennese doctors have said the men have symptoms identical to those of victims of mustard gas in World War I.
Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar has appointed a team of experts headed by Iqbal Riza, a United Nations political officer, to go to Iran this weekend to investigate charges that Iraq has used chemical weapons.
A crisis between Greece and Turkey suddenly receded after Greece announced that it had concluded that Turkish warships had not intentionally fired on a Greek destroyer in the Aegean Sea. Greece said that as a result of “clarifications” provided by Turkey it had canceled the recall of its Ambassador in Ankara and would soon call off a military alert. Only a few hours before the crisis receded, Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou described the incident as “the worst provocation against Greece since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.” He had called on NATO to stop tolerating Turkish aggressiveness. Ankara had in turn accused Greece of creating an artificial crisis to bring United States and NATO pressure to bear on Turkey, and to block legislation pending in the United States Congress on new military aid to Turkey.
Scotland Yard said an explosive device went off at a night club in central London’s Mayfair district early today, and 30 people were reported hurt. Details of the explosion at the L’Auberge club were fragmentary and the extent of the injuries was not immediately known. The Press Association, the British domestic news agency, said 30 people were believed to have been hurt in the explosion at the club in Berkeley Street.
A meeting of the Supreme Soviet scheduled on April 11 could produce a successor to Yuri V. Andropov as head of state. Many Western diplomats believe that the post will be given to Konstantin U. Chernenko, who was appointed Communist Party leader after the death of Mr. Andropov last month.
The Soviet Union agreed today to sell India fighter jets, warships, missiles, army hardware and electronic surveillance systems, Indian officials said. Details of the agreement, including price, were not made public. It was the first major deal between the two countries since a $2.5 billion accord in 1981. The new arms include “more sophisticated equipment with higher strike power,” the officials said, adding that the supplies will be made available “with a great sense of urgency.” The agreement came at the end of talks between Indian officials and the Soviet Defense Minister, Dmitri F. Ustinov, who arrived Monday and held an unscheduled meeting today with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The United States is stepping up military activity in Central America before El Salvador’s presidential election March 25. Reagan Administration officials said the actions included new small-scale military maneuvers in Honduras, doubling to 1,700 the number of American military people in Honduras and arming United States military advisers in El Salvador with heavier weapons to protect themselves.
Grenadians have filed 580 claims seeking about $100 million in damages for losses caused by the United States-led invasion last year, a Government official said today. Thelma Philips, Grenada’s chief social and community development officer, said United States officials here had paid $40,000 in claims so far for property damage including such minor incidents as broken doors and windows. The United States authorities have said they would pay for noncombat damages but have refused to compensate Grenada for damage caused by the actual combat last October.
Emile Gumbs’ Anguilla National Alliance wins elections.
The South African Government said today that it would drop charges against two journalists and the wife of one in connection with an article quoting a “banned” woman. The charges against the three, Allister Sparks and his wife, Suzanne, and Bernard Simon, will be dropped Monday when Mrs. Sparks and Mr. Simon are called to trial, the senior public prosecutor, Andre de Vries, said. Mr. Sparks, a South African, writes for The Washington Post, The Observer in London and The NRC Handelsblad in Rotterdam. He is a former editor of The Rand Daily Mail.
The government said Mr. Sparks had violated the Internal Security Act and the Police Act by quoting Winnie Mandela, wife of Nelson Mandela, the imprisoned leader of the African National Congress, in an overseas publication. Mrs. Mandela is “banned” and may not be quoted, but it has not been clear whether the law covers foreign publications. Mr. Sparks was also accused of printing a false statement about the police.
The unemployment rate declined another two-tenths of a point to 7.7 percent in February, reflecting a strong economy, the Labor Department reported. February was the 15th consecutive month in which the overall unemployment rate had either fallen or remained unchanged since the record recession high of 10.6 percent in November 1982. At the end of December 1983, the Administration forecast that the 7.7 percent rate would be achieved in the closing months of this year.
The President and First Lady are presented with the Girl Scouts of America Annual Report. President Reagan becomes an honorary Girl Scout. The White House barred reporters today from hearing President Reagan’s remarks at a luncheon he is gave for the Girl Scouts on the occasion of their 72nd anniversary. “We do not wish it covered,” the White House spokesman, Larry Speakes, said. It was the third day in a row that White House reporters have not been permitted to cover any of Mr. Reagan’s on-the-record activities.
Further questioning of Edwin Meese about whether he knew that the 1980 Reagan campaign had obtained information from within the Carter camp was proposed by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee before the committee votes on his nomination to be Attorney General. The suggestions that Mr. Meese should return for questioning came from two Democrats, Carl Levin of Michigan and Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, and from a Republican, Charles McC. Mathias Jr. of Maryland.
President Reagan conferred again today with leading Republican senators to seek agreement on a deficit-reducing package for next year, but he was reportedly still at odds with them over the size of the increase in military appropriations. “We made significant headway, but we have a ways to go,” Pete V. Domenici, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said after meeting with Mr. Reagan at the White House. “I remain optimistic as of today that we can put a comprehensive package together,” the New Mexico Republican added.
On Thursday, Mr. Reagan for the first time directed his staff to try to work out a package with the Senate Republicans that would include some reductions in his request for a 13 percent increase in military appropriations for the 1985 fiscal year, after making up for the effects of inflation. House G.O.P. Leaders Consulted
A White House official said Mr. Reagan was trying to reach agreement with the Senate Republicans rather than House Republicans because, being in control of the Senate, they were the ones who could “make it stick.” House Republican leaders are being consulted and briefed on developments by the Senators and the White House. The President’s decision to work with the Senate Republicans marked a shift from trying to reach agreement on the budget with Democrats in the House. The bipartisan negotiations with the Democrats to arrive at a three-year $100 billion “down payment” on the deficit adjourned last week with no date set for their resumption. Larry Speakes, the White House spokesman, said today that the White House still hoped some agreement could be achieved in the bipartisan negotiations.
A billion-dollar merger of their steel operations was called off by the United States Steel Corporation and National Intergroup Inc. because of antitrust objections raised by the Justice Department. The decision to cancel was made three weeks after the department said it would sue to block the proposed merger of two other steel companies, the LTV Corporation and Republic Steel.
A revision of the Clean Air Act that would focus cleanup efforts on the smaller air pollution particles that most threaten health, has been proposed by William D. Ruckelshaus, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The constitutionality of a pocket veto by President Reagan last year of a bill linking military aid to El Salvador to progress in protecting human rights there was upheld by a federal district Judge. An appeal will be made. The case pits both the Republican-controlled Senate and the bipartisan leadership of the House against the executive branch on an issue of separation of powers.
Walter F. Mondale, concerned about a rush of young voters to Senator Gary Hart, asserted today that his opponent had “marketed himself” to appeal to a cynical generation that grew up in “an earthquake zone” of war, economic uncertainty and political corruption. “You are said to be suspicious of government, leery of politicians and mistrustful of institutions,” he told 400 students at Emory University. He said most young Americans were not cynical but rather wanted “to help those less fortunate than they” and to “nudge the world a little closer to peace.” The former Vice President’s address was his strongest and most emotional effort in the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination to stem the reported flow of young support to the Senator from Colorado.
The County Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, has destroyed 9,000 pounds of its pharmaceutical records, some of them under subpoena by a grand jury that brought a child injury charge against Genene Jones, a licensed vocational nurse recently convicted of murder, officials said today. Nicholas Rothe, the assistant Bexar County District attorney, said at a pretrial hearing on the injury case that the records documented drug prescriptions at the hospital during the period being investigated by the authorities. The acting executive director of the hospital district, John Guest, said the hospital pharmacy director had ordered the shredding of all records through January 21, 1982. But he said the destruction, completed February 22, was “according to normal protocol,” and that “what the records contained, in general, has been documented elsewhere.”
An indictment returned against Miss Jones, who worked in the pediatric intensive care unit from 1978 until February 1982, charges that she caused injury to a month-old boy in January 1982 by injecting him with a blood thinner. Last month, Miss Jones was sentenced to 99 years in prison for killing a 15- month-old girl by injecting her with a muscle relaxant.
A nurse who delayed sending an ambulance to the aid of a dying woman said today that public outrage, including motorists who drive by her residence crying “Murderer! Murderer!” had made her a prisoner in her own home. The nurse, Billie Myrick, 42 years old, has been put on paid leave by the Dallas Fire Department while investigations continue into her refusal January 5 to send an ambulance for Lillian Boff, 60, who later died of a heart attack. She became involved in a verbal tussle with Mrs. Boff’s stepson, Larry, when she asked to speak to the dying woman on the phone. “I can’t even go outside my house anymore,” she said.
Eight anemic, malnourished patients were removed from a Chicago nursing home today after investigators found it infested with rats and littered with human excrement. One resident said it was “like we were all in prison.” Investigators had to cut through rusty steel bars to get into the building and found the residents in “deplorable and filthy conditions,” some sleeping two or three to a bedroom and using coffee cans for urinals. The owner, Louise Marchant, also known as Louise Weinstein, was charged with operating a nursing home without a license. She said she operated the building for 17 years as a boarding house, not a nursing home.
Fire broke out tonight on the cruise ship Scandinavian Sea off the Florida coast with 946 people aboard, but no injuries were reported as passengers donned life jackets and were herded to the vessel’s top two decks, officials said. The fire of undetermined cause started about 7:30 PM in a forward passenger cabin while the 506-foot ship was several miles out to sea, the ship’s radio operator said. The vessel docked about 8:50 PM and passengers were evacuated to the terminal of the Scandinavian World Cruise Lines, which owns the ship. The ship was on an 11-hour cruise from this port near Cape Canaveral.
The winter’s heaviest snowstorm swirled into the metropolitan New York area last night, blanketing the region with up to a foot of snow before ending this morning. The storm closed airports and scores of suburban schools and businesses, caused delays and cancellations on commuter rail lines and left low temperatures and icy roads. “It’s going to be cold, cold, cold,” said Gene Hathaway, a spokesman for the National Weather Service. The storm, howling in from the Middle West, where record low temperatures were set in some areas, laid a thick cover of snow as far south as Virginia and Washington and as far north as Massachusetts. Two deaths on Long Island were attributed to the storm. There were also a number of snow-related traffic accidents in the region, including a collision between a tractor-trailer and a city bus in Brooklyn near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in which six people were injured. Transit officials said the bus driver, who was not identified, was seriously hurt. The other injuries were reported to be minor.
The Competitive Enterprise Institute is founded in Washington, D.C.
-5°F ties lowest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland, Ohio (first set in 1948).
John Lennon single “Borrowed Time” released posthumously.
The Philadelphia 76ers block 20 Seattle shots tying NBA regulation game record.
Tim Witherspoon beats Greg Page in 12 for the heavyweight boxing title.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 1139.76 (-7.33).
Born:
Julia Mancuso, American Alpine skier (Olympics, gold medal, Giant Slalom, 2006; Silver medals, Downhill and Combined, 2010; Bronze medal, Combined, 2014), in Reno, Nevada.
Craig Stammen, MLB pitcher (Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres), in North Star, Ohio.
Elliot Johnson, MLB shortstop, second baseman, and outfielder (Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians), in Safford, Arizona.
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