Correction

In the Dec. 11 edition of the Monitor a typesetting error deleted a quotation by French President Mitterrand on Page 6. It should have read: By Dec. 9, President Mitterrand himself felt the need to clear up the confusion by going on French television to say:

''Israel has the right to exist. One cannot refuse the means to that existence. It needs security, secure frontiers. . .

''But in the same way, I will say to my Israeli friends: 'You must recognize the right to existence of the Palestinian people . . . And how can you, without falling into illusion and lies say that there could be a Palestinian homeland but with Palestinians forbidden to create and defend the state structure of their choice?' ''