La Trotskyist group which is taking part in the fighting.
• Can you describe the changing character of the fighting in Lebanon over the recent period?
At first the fighting would be mostly sniping along ine oorderines or contio vous towns or neignoournood and community areas, which would be controlled by the forces of the left or of the reactionary Phalangist Kataeb.
More recently the fighting has substantially changed its character as a result of the increase in the intensity of the battles and the spread of the conflict to new areas.
Because of this the whole military situation took on a muen more nuid chaacter. ine rignuing became very fierce, casualties were high, and hand-tonand struggles over individual buildings and positions were going on. The left won important battles in the latest rounds of fighting.
However, as soon as we would succeed in say occupying an abandoned building, the Phalangists would manoeuvre a ceasenire. wnicn ine retormist winds of the left leadership - including the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Saiqa -would immediately embrace. Thus they sometimes forced the cadres who had ach ieved their victory at great cost to give uD positions or great strategic value.
The Lebanese left on the other hand is ceepiy aivideo into citerent orcanisa tions witn major political ditterences between them. There are major political divisions between the Communist Party and the Progressive Socialist Party of Jumblat on the one hand, and the numerous Ardo nationaust warties on tre ouner. with tinary une orcanisations or te revolutionary lett These divisions make it verv hard Tor central bontical or military decisions to be taken and implemented. Furthermore, the dominant reformist formations do not have political demands that can advance the struggle of the masses. They have based their politics on support of the traditional Moslem leaderships (like naramil, wno nave never nad any ristory of being sympathetic either to the left or to tne ralestinian resistance movement and who also nave not been participating in the fighting.
The situation is therefore very fluid, and which way it develops will depend on the ability of the revolutionary left to polarise a good proportion of the mass movement around i on une basis of d totar rerusal to suborainate our military successes to tne reactionary interests ou the Moslem or nationalist bourgeoisie. Printed by Prestagate Ltd., Reading, Berkshire. The resignation of prime minister Rashid Karami on Sunday marked a further polarisation in the civil war in Lebanon. But •How are the comrades of the Fourth International in the Revolutionary Communist Group taking part in the fighting?
At the beginning we had few arms and we concentrated our efforts on assisting some or tne larcer crouss cat nao arms vve nelped in ine detence or ine barricades Not only did we lack weapons, but also we acked a centre or ooprations trom which to conduct our activity.
However, we soon overcame these obstacles and acquired a self-sufficiency in arms. We took over an abandoned school in the Shiah area, which improved our political and military intervention. nen we took over une responsiolity Tol defending an important position on the tront line or tne batte vost or tne actua fighting would take place at night.
During the day and evenings the comrades would conduct political discussions, educationals, hold cadre schools and rest. Apart from our regular publications we managea despite me intense activity te produce a pamonier on te ceoanese SituatIon.
in accition to inis centre wnica! have been describing we had a similar set-up in another area. It should be pointed out that our women comrades in particular played an exemplary role, not only in actual fighting, but also in intelligence catnerine. reconnaissance activities. and especially in smuggling arms througn tne lines of the reactionary forces. It was through their efforts that the group as a whole managed to arm itself.
•How does the situation look today, and what are the prospects for a ceasefire?
Numerically, and leaving aside the Lebanese army, the relationship of forces is favourable to the left - including the ralestinian resistance movemene ne army is itsen deeoly civiceo Derween d inorouaniv reactionary enristian dom inated officer corps, and the soldiers who are predominantly Moslem Shia. For example, the attempt to use the army in Tripoli resulted in a split of the armed forces, with more than half of the men, the tanks and the armoured cars coming over to the side of the nationalist groups which were controlling Tripoli.
However, the right is very well organised. It is generally better equipped and its leadership is much more homogenous because there are only two or three groups involved and they have few politi cal differences between them FREE SPANiSH TROOPS OUT The Iberian Airlines office in Regent Street is being picketed every Saturday, 11am- 1pm
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only by breaking clearly with the politics of the traditional Moslem leaders like Karami will the forces of the left be able to chart a clear path to victory. Below we interview a member of