Lebanese army loosens grip on Palestinian bases
Reuters
Date: 10-28-05
SULTAN YACOUB, Lebanon (Reuters) - Lebanon's army loosened its grip on pro-Syrian Palestinian guerrillas on Friday, two days after it had them encircled inside their bases near the Syrian border, witnesses said.
The Lebanese government on Thursday played down the significance of the army deployment in the eastern Bekaa Valley, saying it was seeking talks, not an armed conflict with militants over their armed presence outside refugee camps.
Witnesses said troops removed two checkpoints near positions run by the Syrian-backed Fatah Uprising and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PLFP-GC).
The army also allowed militants to leave the bases to obtain food and supplies, they added.
Lebanese army commandos, supported by tanks, had deployed in force along the Syrian border, in response to the shooting to death of a civilian army contractor by suspected Palestinian gunmen.
A U.N. report, prepared by special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen to the Security Council, said on Wednesday arms were flowing across the Syrian border to Palestinian groups and others.
The Lebanese government says Palestinian groups must shut down the military posts they hold outside of the dozen squalid refugee camps, home for around 390,000 refugees.
Ahmed Jibril, head of the Damascus-based PLFP-CG, said his group would not disarm as long as Israel was occupying Palestinian territories.
"This struggle with the enemy has not ended. These arms will continue to have a main role as long as this conflict exists and there is one Palestinian refugee in exile who is denied the right of return," he said in Damascus.
"They have suddenly raised the issue of Palestinian arms in Lebanon and specifically the weapons of our Front. We understood this was a part of the American implementation of (Security Council) Resolution 1559," Jibril added.
The issue of armed pro-Syrian Palestinian groups in Lebanon has moved to center stage since the Security Council passed the resolution last year, demanding the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country and the disarmament of all militias.
Syria ended its 29-year military presence in Lebanon in April after mounting world pressure and mass protests over the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri on February 14. Damascus has repeatedly denied its involvement.
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