1.
GV: Syrian front line
0.08

2.
CU: rifle PULL BACK TO MV: Palestinian fighters
0.13

3.
MV: Palestinian commander looking through binoculars.
0.16

4.
GV: Syrian front line
0.19

5.
GV: Palestinian with rocket launcher. (2 shots)
0.29

6.
GV: Palestinian troops patrolling countryside. (2 shots)
0.40

7.
GV: Syrian occupied Bhandoum.
0.43

8.
MV ZOOM TO CU: wrecked car.
0.50

9.
MV PULL OUT TO GV road blocks.
0.54

10.
MV: PLO spokesman makes statement to press. (4 shots)
2.35


JIHAD:"They used not less than two brigades, tanks, two Brigades infantry, two battalions rockets - heavy rockets - two battalions shells,, guns, sorry. They began in the other day in the beginning of the early day at half past two in the early morning and in the long day till eight o'clock of that day, they reached some places in Bashmir behind Bhamdoun and they took a hold there."



REPORTER: "Some of newspapers said Arafat phoned you from Riyadh. Can you say what he told you."



JIHAD:"Yes, he is giving us the situation in Riyadh now they are making some meetings with the Arab delegations who are there, and they are, what we can say, expecting some results and we hope that the Syrians will stop there. We hope that the pressure of the Arab Summit will let them stop there and to have a solution politically, we hope so."



Iraq - one of the main supporters of the Palestinian - leftist alliance in Lebanon has denounced the Riyadh agreement on the ceasefire. Baghdad leadership of the ruling Iraqi Ba'ath Party.It said the Riyadh agreement was concluded by "a group of leaders most of whom have no concern but to save themselves from the wrath of their people."




Initials RH/JR/DK/2235



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The latest ceasefire in the Lebanese civil war was due to go into effect on Thursday (21 October) after three days of savage indiscriminate shelling in residential areas on both sides of divided Beirut.

SYNOPSIS: In the hills East of Beirut heavy fighting has been going on between Syrians and Palestinian forces. The Palestinians, in positions near Khartoum and Bhamdoun along the main Beirut - Damascus highway, have withstood attacks by superior Syrian forces.

The Palestinians were desperately defending their positions, against the Syrians who were attempting to push them out of the middle section of Lebanon. The fighting was going on even as the ceasefire talks were taking place in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.

Syrian forces have already taken the town of Bhamdoun. The Palestinian Commander in the Mountain region, Abu Jihad, spoke to newsmen about the fighting and contact with the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Yasser Arafat.