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Lebanon: PaleoLeaders seek end to standoff
Palestinian leaders yesterday tried to end a bloody standoff between the Lebanese army and militants holed up in a refugee camp - the battleground for Lebanon's worst fighting since the civil war. Worried that violence could spill over to other Palestinian camps, the government is giving the Palestinian factions time to try to deal with the Fatah Al Islam group, which has been battling the army around the Nahr Al Bared camp since May 20.Sporadic gunfire continued into the early hours yesterday. The army said in a statement it had opened fire when fired upon and destroyed Fatah Al Islam fortifications, "causing definite casualties in the ranks of the militants". But the already stretched army has been unable to deal the militants a decisive blow from its positions around the camp, which it is banned from entering under a 1969 Arab agreement. The Lebanese government is concerned that more heavy army action could trigger violence at other Palestinian camps in Lebanon, which are autonomous enclaves and home to some 400,000. "What is slowing down the army is the realisation that we could have a nationwide problem," said Timur Goksel, an expert on security affairs in Leb-anon. "This would mainly be a reaction if the Palestinian civilian suffering was heavy." Abu Emad Al Refaie, the Lebanon representative of the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, said: "The military solution is no longer an option." The Lebanese government has demanded the handing over of Fatah Al Islam militants, many of whom are not Palestinian. "We have not discussed the matter of handing them over," Refaie said. The factions had agreed other points including the formation of a Palestinian committee to shore up security in the camp, he said. Osama Hamdan, the Lebanon representative of Hamas, declined to comment on the progress of the talks. A Fatah Al Islam spokesman said the group would not hand over any of its fighters. "This is impossible," Abu Salim Taha said by telephone from inside the camp. Posted by: Pappy 2007-05-29 |
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