Two Israeli views of Indyk's tour

The media advisor for the Israeli prime minister, David Bar Ilan has asserted that Israel has no intention to carry out a military invasion of Lebanon. He stressed that Israeli diplomatic contacts in this regard are made via French and American channels.

In a statement to Monte Carlo radio on Tuesday, Bar Ilan denied any tension in the relations between Israel and Washington although US Undersecretary of State Martin Indyk will not visit Israel in his forthcoming Middle East tour. He noted that the US Defense Secretary William Cohen will arrive in Israel within the next two days.

Monte Carlo radio expected that the Israeli government would not make any military action in Lebanon before the end of the forthcoming early Israeli elections.

In a report aired on Tuesday afternoon, the radio said that Israel Radio reported that the tour of Martin Indyk in the region and his meeting on Sunday in Damascus with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad aims at feeling the impulse of the Syrian leadership on the possibility of resuming negotiations on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks, especially following the recent statements made by the Lebanese prime minister on reviving the truce agreement of 1949.

The radio quoted the Israeli ambassador in Washington, Zalman Shoval, as saying that there is information available that Indyk will try during his tour to make certain amendments on the understanding which Shoval considers as "contributing to achieving stability in south Lebanon and finding out certain balance between Israel's stand and that of the Hizbullah Party."

Shoval expected that Indyk will try to restart Syrian - Israeli negotiations. He noted that on the sidelines of King Hussein's funeral in Amman in February, Indyk met with President Hafez al-Assad and discussed with him means pertaining to Indyk's tour.