Word: habib
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...removed from the danger and discomfort of West Beirut, in both a physical and symbolic sense, was the residence of U.S. Ambassador Robert Dillon. The house, from which Negotiator Habib has been operating for almost a month, is comfortably situated in the hills outside East Beirut. The tough and tight-lipped Habib has had little to say in public about the progress of negotiations, but it is known that he sternly told the Israelis to remove their ring of tanks from around the palace of his neighbor, Lebanese President Elias Sarkis, who happens to live across the road...
...would have been a daunting assignment for any diplomat: untangling the emotions of a region rent by hatred and factionalism. Philip Charles Habib, 62, the U.S. special envoy who has been at the center of the negotiations about the future of Beirut, brings a rare blend of talents to the task. The son of a Lebanese Catholic grocer, he combines the street smarts of his native Brooklyn with sensitivity to the mind-sets of both Arabs and Jews. Twice last week President Reagan went out of his way to praise Habib for "laboring heroically" to bring peace to Lebanon...
Since Secretary of State Alexander Haig's resignation, Reagan and National Security Adviser William Clark have come to rely more heavily on Habib's guidance. The President's decision to approve the principle of deploying U.S. troops in Lebanon came in response to Habib's request for authority to use the proposal as a bargaining tool. The special envoy has been equally assertive with the various Middle East factions. It was he who forced the Israelis to withdraw their tanks from the presidential palace in Baabda...
Eschewing the pinstripe ambiguities of the career professional, Habib is renowned for his straightforward talk and capacity to cut through to the basics. "He gets to the core of issues quickly," says one associate, "and then doesn't leave them till they're settled." But his greatest strength, says another, is that "he knows when to use clout and when to listen." For instance, when talking to Menachem Begin, who tends to obscure issues with lengthy digressions, Habib will tenaciously steer the conversation back to the central topic. "He doesn't take opening positions too seriously...
...Habib has put his Middle Eastern background to good use at the bargaining table, impressing his Arab contacts with the few words of Arabic he learned at home and with his knowledge of Lebanese soccer scores. During one tense negotiation some years ago, an Arab leader broke into a string of expletives, which his translator diplomatically glossed over. Habib sat upright, his face split into a wide grin, and he roguishly wagged his finger at the Arab. Said he: "I don't know much Arabic, but I sure do know those words." The Arab leader laughed, warmed by Habib...