Word: beirutization
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...Americans remain hostage in Beirut...
Camille Sontag and Marcel Coudari, 54, were released in Moslem west Beirut on Monday night to Syrian army officers, government sources said. They were taken to the Syrian capital, Damascus, where they were turned over to French envoys...
More than wanderlust, however, makes Waite the right man to carry out diplomatic chores for Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury's official residence. The intrepid envoy has the right temperament for nail-biting assignments. Last November, when he was pinned down by gunfire in the A.P. office in Beirut, he displayed characteristic good humor. At one point he broke the tension with the announcement that he would take a shower. "If you / can't do anything else," he said, "you might as well make use of the time...
...also has an appreciation for the religious aspects of political confrontations, be they in Libya, Iran or Lebanon. When he met with Gaddafi in December 1984, the two men debated, among other things, the effect of Greek philosophy on Islam and Christianity. Sensibly, when Waite first arrived in Beirut last year, he quickly noted the sufferings of Lebanon's community of some 1 million Shi'ites...
Sometimes Waite has appeared to grandstand a bit. His three trips within six weeks to Beirut last year attracted enormous publicity. At one point he called a press conference at which he announced that hostage negotiations were at a "critical and dangerous stage" and entreated reporters to "give me some space." Last week his phone call to the press might have proved embarrassing had he not produced any concrete results. But he finally did, which secures his reputation as a brave -- and successful -- troubleshooter...