Citizen G'kar: Musings on Earth

May 21, 2007

Update: PLO OKs Army to Enter Refugee Camp near Tripoli

Xinhua
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) representative in Lebanon Abbas Zaki on Monday pledged "cooperation" with the Lebanese state and its army to wipe out the militants fighting with the army in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.


After talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora at the Grand Serail (the premier's office) Monday, Zaki stressed the need to enhance "full cooperation" with the Lebanese state and its army to resolve what he termed Fatah al-Islam's "phenomenon."


Some 30,000 displaced Palestinians live at the camp. Under a 38-year-old deal, Lebanese police and soldiers can not enter the camp.


Seniora had been negotiating a break of the rule and seeking to get into the camp to wipe out the Islamic militants. Zaki said he left it up to Seniora to decide whether to send the army into the camp, but warned that "entering the camp does not mean it will be easy to get rid of this phenomenon."


"We are open... to all the demands of the Lebanese state. We hope to cooperate in order to eliminate the Fatah al-Islam phenomenon, on the condition innocent civilians do not pay a high price," said Zaki.

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