Page 1 11 of 190 DOCUMENTS The New York Times September 8, 1982, Wednesday, Late City Final Edition ISRAELIS PRESSING FOR PEACE TREATY WITH THE LEBANESE BYLINE: By DAVID K. SHIPLER, Special to the New York Times SECTION: Section A; Page 1, Column 6; Foreign Desk LENGTH: 964 words DATELINE: JERUSALEM, Sept. 7 Israel has started to press President-elect Bashir Gemayel of Lebanon to move toward negotiating a formal peace treaty as a way of guaranteeing the security of the Israeli-Lebanese border. Otherwise, Defense Minister Ariel Sharon has said, Israel would have to place southern Lebanon in ''a special status.'' He has not defined this term, but it is believed to mean control by a pro-Israeli Christian militia and possibly some Israeli military presence, at least in the form of periodic patrols. ''If a future Lebanese government signs a peace treaty with Israel,'' the Defense Minister said Monday night, ''Lebanon will certainly be territorially united. But if there is a government in Lebanon that for any reason does not sign a treaty, then there will certainly be a special status in south Lebanon along the 40-kilometer security strip Israel needs.'' Sharon in Northern Town Mr. Sharon, who has considerable political ambitions, made the statement about a peace treaty in a speech in the northern Israeli border town of Qiryat Shemona, which came under rocket and artillery attack when the Palestine Liberation Organization held positions in southern Lebanon. Attempts to obtain a clarification of the Defense Minister's remarks were unsuccessful; his spokesman, Uri Dan, refused all day to come to the telephone or to return calls. The impression prevailed in Jerusalem that Mr. Sharon's statement was his own and did not, at least for now, represent Government policy. But there is concern here about the future of Lebanon's southern districts. President-elect Gemayel, a Christian Phalangist leader who must form suitable relations with Moslem factions if he is to govern effectively, has hesitated to appear overly friendly to Israel, despite his force's long dependence on Israeli military aid. Gemayel Cool to Peace Treaty His coolness toward the peace treaty proposal has troubled some in the Israeli Government, despite Prime Minister Menachem Begin's statement in an interview 10 days ago that there was no urgency. ''Let us wait,'' Mr. Begin said then. Israel television reported today that the Israeli Army in Sidon ordered the Phalangists to cancel a celebration at which they had planned to mark the P.L.O.'s departure because they refused to put up posters thanking the Israelis and calling for peace with Israel. Page 2 ISRAELIS PRESSING FOR PEACE TREATY WITH THE LEBANESE The New York Times September 8, 1982, Wednesday, Late City Final Edition Officials are worried that after an Israeli Army withdrawal, which is to be linked to a Syrian departure from Lebanon, a power vacuum could develop again just north of the Israeli border, enabling Palestinian guerrillas to infiltrate the area and threaten Israel's northern settlements. Initially, when Israel invaded Lebannon June 6, the Government urged the establishment of an American-led multinational force to police a chunk of Lebanese territory 25 miles deep. Now, however, Prime Minister Begin and Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir have said that Israel prefers a Lebanese Army that would be strong enough to control the area. They have ruled out any United Nations force similar to the one deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978, arguing that it was ineffective in halting Palestinian attacks. Foreign Minister Shamir, meeting Monday with European ambassadors, told them Israel did not favor the creation of a multinational force. Questions of Willingness The difficulty of assembling a united and strong central government in Lebanon after years of religious and factional civil war has raised questions about Israel's willingness to withdraw its army completely from the southern areas. Although Mr. Begin has declared repeatedly that Israel does not want even one inch of Lebanese territory, he is not expected to allow disorder to return; otherwise, the war will have been fought for nothing. In addition, he now has a strong right-wing faction in his own Government that greeted Mr. Sharon's remarks with approval. Geula Cohen, a leader of the Tehiya Party, an opponent of the peace with Egypt and an advocate of the annexation of the occupied West Bank, noted that ''we were in Sinai 15 years'' and that the war in Lebanon was not even over yet. ''The Government of Lebanon is not yet a factor which we can rely on,'' she said. ''If we can't rely on this government to secure our security,'' she said, ''we have to secure our security ourselves. It doesn't mean that we want to annex part of Lebanon, but we want to annex security to our northern border.'' Denies Plan to Delay Prime Minister Begin, asked 10 days ago whether Israel would delay its withdrawal until the security situation was acceptable, answered negatively, saying that the pullout would be linked only to a Syrian departure. But it seems possible that Israel might drag out the coming, indirect negotiations with Syria pending a strengthening of the Lebanese Army. Unconfirmed reports have circulated here that Mr. Begin met last week with President-elect Gemayel in northern Israel in an effort to persuade him to go along with a treaty. Today, Israel radio said he had also sought to deter Mr. Gemayel from trying a Lebanese Army major, Saad Haddad, who deserted to establish his own militia in a border enclave with Israel. Major Haddad has extended his presence northward since the Israeli invasion and has come into conflict with the Phalangists of Mr. Gemayel as they have moved southward. It is believed that if Israel decides to partition Lebanon, Major Haddad would be the most likely candidate to command the zone of Israeli influence. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH GRAPHIC: Illustrations: photo of Saleh Khalef (page A10) Copyright 1982 The New York Times Company.