News In Brief

Warring factions defy cease-fire in Lebanon

Gun battles flared Wednesday on the ''green line'' dividing Beirut, and some artillery shells and rockets were fired in defiance of a cease-fire agreed to by leaders of Lebanon's warring factions at talks in Switzerland.

Two people were reported wounded, but the scattered clashes and shelling did not degenerate into the heavy fighting of recent days and a committee of militia and Army representatives held a first meeting to discuss how to ensure that the cease-fire was observed.

The meeting was delayed by the problem of finding a place where all four committee members felt safe. Military sources said it was eventually held in an area controlled by French troops and did not last long. A second meeting was set for today.