ABC Evening News open - 1977-09-19

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:01] This is the ABC Evening News with Harry

[0:04] Reer and Barbara Walters. And also

[0:06] tonight, Howard K. Smith and Frank

[0:08] Reynolds in Washington.

[0:10] Heavy fighting rages in southern Lebanon

[0:12] that could hurt the Middle East peace

[0:14] talks. This is Bill Semens.

[0:17] >> Israeli foreign minister Diane brings a

[0:19] peace plan to Washington. I'm Ted CP.

[0:23] Kentucky Fire Marshall suspended in

[0:25] nightclub fire probe. This is Bill

[0:26] Stewart. The Carter administration says

[0:29] race should be a factor in university

[0:31] admission policies. I'm Tim O'Brien.

[0:35] >> Good evening. Barbara is on assignment

[0:36] in the Middle East and reports tonight

[0:38] that Israeli Foreign Minister Mosha

[0:40] Diane met secretly over the weekend with

[0:42] Jordan's King Hussein. Dian's

[0:44] whereabouts over the weekend had been a

[0:45] mystery, giving rise to much

[0:47] speculation. The meeting with Hussein

[0:49] was in London. Diane then flew back to

[0:51] Tel Aviv and on to Washington where he

[0:52] is today. Assange reportedly came away

[0:55] from the meeting pessimistic about peace

[0:56] prospects because of what he saw as as

[0:59] Israel's hardline policies. In

[1:01] Washington, Diane and President Carter

[1:03] met, the first of a critical series of

[1:05] meetings between the president and

[1:06] foreign ministers of Middle East

[1:08] nations. Diplomatic correspondent Ted

[1:10] Cppel reports.

[1:12] Mosha Diane, now Israel's foreign

[1:14] minister, is the first in line this

[1:16] week. And on the surface, at least there

[1:18] is still the appearance of harmony and

[1:20] goodwill. But the Carter administration

[1:22] remains committed to the notion of a

[1:24] Geneva conference this year. And in

[1:26] recent weeks, the president has also

[1:28] made it clear that he is committed to

[1:30] some form of Palestinian representation

[1:32] at Geneva. That has always been the

[1:34] sticking point between Israel and the

[1:36] United States. And after this first day

[1:38] of meetings, it remains so. Nan came

[1:41] here to Washington prepared to discuss

[1:43] the draft of an Israeli peace treaty.

[1:45] One that would return most of the Sinai

[1:47] to Egypt, part of the Golan Heights to

[1:49] Syria while keeping the West Bank under

[1:52] Israeli military control, but with

[1:54] greater autonomy for the Arabs. If the

[1:56] Carter White House is impressed by the

[1:58] draft, it's doing a fine job of

[2:00] concealing it. The White House issued a

[2:02] one-page statement, and when Dian

[2:04] emerged from his session with the

[2:06] president, he refused to go beyond that

[2:08] statement.

[2:10] Well, gentlemen, I understand that a uh

[2:14] communic was has been released by the

[2:18] spokesman of the president and that

[2:20] practically speaks for all of us and it

[2:24] was coordinated for us and the president

[2:28] and that's about it.

[2:31] The most optimistic line in the White

[2:33] House statement said that today's talks

[2:35] were conducted in the open and friendly

[2:37] spirit which permits differences to be

[2:39] discussed candidly. If that sounds like

[2:42] little or no progress, it was meant to.

[2:45] In the Middle East itself, there is

[2:46] trouble of another kind. Bill Seammens

[2:48] has more on that.

[2:53] The war between Lebanese Christian and

[2:55] Palestinian forces near the Israeli

[2:57] border has in the past few days

[2:59] escalated to its highest level in the

[3:01] last 10 months. Fierce fighting is

[3:03] raging for control of the Palestinian

[3:05] held village of Alhyam just a few miles

[3:08] from the Israeli town of Matula where

[3:10] these scenes were filmed today. The

[3:13] Israeli army spokesman denies reports

[3:15] from Beirut, claiming that Israeli

[3:17] troops and planes have crossed over to

[3:19] help the Christians, but Prime Minister

[3:21] Bean said last month that the Israelis

[3:24] were giving the Christians artillery

[3:26] support. All news and film from the

[3:28] border area is being strictly censored.

[3:31] Tonight, these Israeli forces patrolling

[3:33] the border are on increased alert.

[3:36] They're waiting to see whether the

[3:37] Syrian army in Lebanon intervenes by

[3:39] moving over the Latani River about 15

[3:42] miles from the Israeli border.