subject.
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We hope that with four years experience
behind him he will now be able to devote his full
attention to the region from the very beginning of his
second term. There is never an ideal time to tackle
the basic problems of the Middle East. But progress is
urgently needed over Lebanon and over the fundamental
Arab/Israel dispute, not to mention the conflict
between Iran and Iraq with its continued threat to
shipping in the Gulf. In Lebanon it is essential that
Israel should act on its proclaimed intention of
withdrawing, provided that satisfactory security
arrangements can be made for Israel's northern border.
As for the Arab/Israel dispute, the two fundamental
principles of a settlement must be Israel's right to
security and the Palestinians' right to
self-determination. The parties themselves must reach
agreement, and it is neither possible nor right for any
outsider to seek to impose a solution. But the West as
a whole can urge moderation on both sides, and the
United States' influence gives them a special
responsibility to work for a just and lasting
settlement. We shall continue to play our part, as is
shown by the visit which my Rt Hon Friend the Foreign
and Commonwealth Secretary paid to Lebanon and Israel
ten days ago.
6.
The third area directly affected by the US
elections is Central America. It is a regrettable fact
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