Beirut: A group tasked with making a plan to remove weapons held by Palestinian factions in Lebanon’s refugees camps met for the first time Friday to begin hashing out a timetable and mechanism for disarming the groups.
The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, a government body that serves as an interlocutor between Palestinian refugees and officials, said the meeting was attended by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and that “participants agreed to launch a process for the disarmament of weapons according to a specific timetable”.
The group added that it also aimed to take steps to “enhance the economic and social rights of Palestinian refugees.” A Lebanese official familiar with the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment, said work to remove the weapons would begin within a month.
The meeting followed a visit by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Lebanon.