Syria Says No to Iran Force
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BEIRUT — Syria rejected an Iranian offer to form a joint military force to end the protracted fighting between two Shia Muslim factions in Beirut’s southern slums, the two leading Beirut newspapers reported today.
The 18 foreign hostages--nine of them Americans--believed held in the slums were a key factor in the negotiations between the two countries, one of the newspapers said.
Police said the Syrian-backed Amal militia and pro-Iranian Hezbollah forces battled for an 18th straight day today, leaving five people dead and 46 wounded.
Iran has proposed forming a joint military force with Syria and moving into the slums to stop the fighting, according to reports today in Beirut’s two leading dailies.
The papers said Amal officials and Syria’s military intelligence chief rejected the offer and insisted that the Syrian army take exclusive charge.
The papers said the Iranian offer was proposed during an overnight meeting and included two conditions:
--Resolving the problem of the hostages “in a way that serves the objective for which they were kidnaped.”
--Guarantees that Hezbollah (Party of God) would be free to continue political activities in the slums after the Syrian deployment.
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