Beirut: A Man for All Reasons

It 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 but as a point of departure from which to make some progress," says William Quandt, former chief Middle East expert of the National Security Council. "He realizes that diplomacy is the art of the possible."

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's directness. Pierre Gemayel, leader of Lebanon's Phalange Party, says: "Habib's Lebanese roots enable him to understand the unique complexities of our nation in a way few other diplomats can."

A member of the Foreign Service since 1949, Habib sharpened his skills as a negotiator while heading the U.S. delegation to the Paris peace talks with North Viet Nam from 1969 to 1971. He participated in many of Henry Kissinger's Middle East shuttles, and was called back from retirement in 1979 to serve as special adviser to Secretary of State Cyrus Vance.