Word: habib
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...absence of fresh ideas, Reagan opted for fresh faces. With Gemayel standing beside him, the President announced that Special Envoy Philip Habib, who has been the Administration's principal troubleshooter in the Middle East, would be replaced by Robert C. McFarlane, Deputy National Security Adviser. Habib, 63, was described as leaving to pursue "private commitments," but in reality he had outlived his usefulness. The Israelis distrusted him and, more important, the Syrians flatly refused to see him. McFarlane, 46, has little expertise in the region, but the former Marine colonel has won bipartisan praise for his work...
...Shultz mission was hastily hatched. When the Secretary of State embarked on a twelve-day swing through Asia three weeks ago, he dispatched Special Envoy Philip Habib to judge whether a Middle East side trip by Habib's boss would be worthwhile. By the time Shultz reached Pakistan, his last stop in Asia, senior White House aides decided that he should visit the region. They reasoned that Shultz had little to lose-and much to gain if, miraculously, his presence spurred some progress. Said an Administration official: "No one thought we had to score on this or else...
...issue is that they have been giving mixed diplomatic signals for some time. Syrian President Hafez Assad has consistently denounced the Lebanese-Israeli agreement, but at the same time he has hinted to Washington that he would welcome talks with U.S. negotiators, though not with U.S. Special Envoy Philip Habib. He would probably like to meet directly with Secretary of State George Shultz, who believes that preliminary discussions should be conducted by lower-ranking officials. Some U.S. experts on the Middle East feel that if the Syrians are really ready to talk now, Shultz should move quickly to take advantage...
Less than two weeks earlier, the Syrians had promised Secretary of State George Shultz that a high-level American negotiator would always be welcome. But last week the state-run Syrian press agency declared that Syria had "nothing to discuss" with Special Envoy Philip Habib, whom it described as "one of the most hostile American diplomats toward the Arabs and their cause." At the time of the signing, the Syrians expressed their displeasure by closing highways in the Syrian-controlled areas of northern and eastern Lebanon. The Syrians have hinted that they might close the Syrian-Lebanese border indefinitely...
...primary incentive. A longer-range Syrian goal is recovery of the Golan Heights. Shultz said last week that he was not "applying" for the job of negotiator between Syria and Lebanon. But once the perimeters of the problem have been established, probably under the guidance of Special Envoy Philip Habib, Shultz may have to embark on another exercise in Middle East shuttle diplomacy. Having pressed the Israelis to leave Lebanon, the U.S. is now obliged to try to persuade the Syrians to uphold their end of the bargain...