Lebanese official skeptical that pullout plan is near

Lebanon's foreign minister expressed doubt that Lebanon and Israel were on the verge of an agreement to get foreign troops out of the country. Secretary of State George Shultz, shuttling between Beirut and Jerusalem to break the deadlocked talks, said both sides had reached a point where closure was possible - possibly by the end of the week. Israeli officials also reported major progress. But Lebanese Foreign Minister Elie Salem said it was unlikely an agreement would be reached before Mr. Shultz flew to Paris this weekend.

An Israeli withdrawal in Lebanon would be a major boost to the stalled Reagan plan, which hinged on Jordan's representing the Palestinians in peace talks with Israel. A senior Palestine Liberation Organization envoy said he met Jordan's King Hussein for the first high-level meeting since Jordanian-PLO talks were broken off last month.