Abbas Meets Berri, Miqati: Refugee Camps Don't Need Arms as They are Protected by Lebanese State
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stressed on Thursday that the Palestinian Authority does not meddle in the affairs of Arab countries, including those of Lebanon.
He said: “We are in no need of weapons because we are protected by the Lebanese government and people.”
He made his remarks after holding talks at the Grand Serail with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati.
“We are open to whatever Lebanese decision is taken to control the arms in the Palestinian refugee camps,” Abbas added.
For his part, Miqati hailed Abbas' position, hoping that Palestinians would respect the Palestinian Authority's decision that they refrain from interfering in Lebanese internal affairs.
“Lebanon is suffering from the burden of Syrian and Palestinian refugee … and we hope that the Palestinian refugees would not take sides in the crisis in the neighboring country,” he remarked.
Abbas later headed to Ain el-Tineh where he held talks with Speaker Nabih Berri.
He reiterated after the meeting his respect for the all decisions taken by official Lebanese authorities over the Palestinian refugees.
“In Lebanon, we are most concerned with the country's stability and security,” he remarked.
“We are temporary guests in Lebanon and we hope that we may soon return to our homeland,” he explained.
“We must abide by Lebanon's rules as long as we are its guests,” said Abbas.
The Palestinian president arrived in Lebanon on Wednesday on a three-day visit where he is set to meet with a number of senior officials.
He kicked off the trip by holding talks with President Michel Suleiman at the Baabda Palace.
By long-standing convention, the Lebanese army does not enter the country's 12 refugee camps, leaving security inside to the Palestinians themselves.
04 July 2013, 13:31
95
Disarming the Palestinian refugee camps would be a great idea ... This could be the start of demilitarising all of Lebanon ... Only with confidence measures like this will the HA ever concede to merging with the LAF.
04 July 2013, 17:29
13
Mc. 100%. start with palestinians then HA and other lebanese.
I wonder why you got so many downthumbs!
04 July 2013, 22:10
10
I think partly readers did not think he was sincere in meaning that HA will then surrender its arms.
If you look at the big picture, Sunnis look at the Palestinian arms as their defense against HA. So, if there is an honest desire to disarm all, then my proposal would be proportional disarming of all groups (based on their size and disarmament level). Also do not look at the armed Palestinians as a homogeneous group, we know that the two big ones PLLO and Hamas do not trust each other, hence the proportionnal disarming. Also do not think all the Palestinians are against HA, in fact the most lethat ones are armed by Asaad and they make one front with HA.
So proportional disarming will reach all without exposing one group to the dangers of another. Eventually they all become toothless and the LAF can do its job of protecting the borders and the ISF can do its job of maintaining internal security without being outgunned.
04 July 2013, 20:58
15
Habibi HA does not want to disarm as those weapons are there to defend the Iranian islamic revolution. Was it not for the havoc Iran is creating in Lebanon, Syria and to a less extent in Iraq (thanks to the US intervention) the Islamic Revolution would have been toppled in Iran similarly to what happened yesterday in Egypt.
HA has said to the army that Nahr el Bared is a red line. It has said that the palestinian weapons outside the camps are the first defense line of the resistance weapons. During the reconciliation conferences that were being held the past few years a decision was taken to disarm the palestinians camps. HA has always refused to implement this decision as the Palestinians holding weapons outside the camps are the FPLP i.e. a proxy militia for the Syrian regime.
04 July 2013, 22:03
11
Now everyone should understand why HA is against disarming Palestinians and against demarcating the borders. Because they both give it justification to hold on to its arms. Even with both happening, HA will never give up its arms (it only gets exposed by removing the fig leave, the excuse). HA plans are much much bigger, an Islamic State that is an arm to Welayat Elfaqih and to those who deny it, deny as much as you want- it is as plane as a gull moon on a clear night.
04 July 2013, 22:36
10
Rubbish, it is known fact that according to 12ver shia ideology they are armed cause they are waiting for the mehdi, Hezb & the shia will never give up their arms, its called "Active Waiting" cause they balive the shia mehdi is going to need an army to take on Israel & the sunnis. Research it for yourself
04 July 2013, 13:33
34
liar liar liar. every year we receive a palestinian thug who comes and sells us whatever he thinks lebanese would like to hear: "we're here on a temporary basis, we appreciate being hosted by your government". reality is all palestinians care about is getting nationalized just like they are in Jordan, and take over the country. I just wish every lebanese including hariri & co unite to find a solution for these refugees. we've been toerating them for almost 70 years now. it is about time they find another place, such as Lybia, Algeria, Sudan and KSA. These are huge territories with better living conditions. Just leave Lebanon to Lebanese.
04 July 2013, 15:56
22
Phahahahahahahahahaha what a joke and how could there be a convention that doesnt allow the Lebanese state and Army to enter or interfer in any trouble inside the camp whixh is constant and armed to the eyebulls.
Partition please.
04 July 2013, 17:33
01
People born and raised in Lebanon to parents born and raised there are not "foreigners." If Lebanon has a policy of authorizing armed militias there should be a process that groups can follow to get that authorization. It shouldn't be limited to one or two militias.
04 July 2013, 17:34
13
palestinians wont give their weapons because sunni lebanese dont want them to give up their weapons
04 July 2013, 20:22
13
Lebanon_first 1) you have it completely wrong and 2) you remark is sectarian as ever. No The ones who do not want the disarmement of Palestinians inside and outside the camps are Hiszbullah who have declared that the arms of the palestinians are the first defense line of the resistance weapons.
Remember Saniora in 2007 was trying hard with the palestinian leaders to have them disarm the camps.
I am just bewildered as how realities can be occulted by sectarian thinking.
04 July 2013, 22:03
02
in 2007 sunnis wanted them disarmed. today they dont because today sunnis want to arm themselves against HA
04 July 2013, 22:17
01
This is why I am proposing the proportional disarming of all groups. To eliminate the finger pointing and each saying start with others. I am confident that Sunnis will accept such a formula as they do not need to fear Hezb since their arms will be reduced accordingly.
USA and Russia did this proportional disarmament on Nuclear weapons and Intercontinental missiles. Each reduced their holdings by a proportional amount.
05 July 2013, 03:05
00
The sunni are suffering from the arms of HA and Co. They have been repeatedly saying in Tripoli and Saida that the cities should be arm free. Mainstream M14 and Mustaqbal have been voicing this on and on. Unfertunately some M14 leaders in Tripoli have called on their zeaaran to hold weapons and not to drop them until the other camp drop them too. But so far there is no indication that the Sunni are calling on the weapons of the palestenians.
04 July 2013, 20:52
12
I agree and gave you a +1. So if they do this should HA have arms? If the camps don't have weapons can HA then join the LAF and agree to serve Lebanese interests not just sectarian? For the record I would rather have HA armed than Assir and Salafi; But come on, I have been reading your posts for years, you are a smart man, it does not make sense for any country to have a militia for decades like this under sectarian control, fighting in other countries in this manner.
04 July 2013, 23:02
01
They have had their arms for a very long time already. I would agree not all but most Christian's looked at Shiites as you stated. Shiites are original Lebanese we all know that. They are indigenous. However, for many years Christians actually have been at the mercy of the Assad regime, which Hizb has been aligned with for years. We were at the mercy of Turks for how many hundreds? Lebanese in Syrian jails/MIA in Syria, Syrian occupation, all in the name of Palestinians? Numerous Christian assassinations, please don't say it was all Israel behind these things. It is about Shiite/Alawite power from Lebanon through Syria, Iraq and Iran. Yes, aside from a few murdered protestors recently, turning their guns inward in 2008 over phone lines they have a divine right to, threatening a few liquor store owners, and kicking a few women out of the water in the summer in jnoub for not covering, for the most part, they have been reasonable given their might.
04 July 2013, 23:02
00
Why demarcation with just Shebaa? Why not Syria too? Shebaa is just a cover to keep arms, I was hoping for a better reason. I live with the biggest HA contingency outside of Lebanon in Detroit. I have many friends from Bint Jebail and Barachit. They all tell me Shebaa is just an excuse to keep their weapons. Most people in Shebaa are happy as is, and the rest consider themselves Syrian. Can we keep just a few Christians left in the Middle East?
05 July 2013, 01:19
00
Well said. Here, the "original sin" was bringing the Palestinians and their deadly regional problems into Lebanon. At least, people in my family circle knew this will happen and spoke against it even before the alleged civil war erupted. At this point, may be it does not matter if the responsible Lebanese politicians did it willingly, by payment and/or by force. What matters is for purely Lebanese interest, the Palestinians in Lebanon should be disarmed. I would give them a time period to either disarm or relocate their militia to another country who are willing to die for their cause to fight their enemy and leave Lebanon alone. Too many Lebanese have died and suffered in the past 35 years or so.
