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For a Start, Disarm the Palestinian Camps in Lebanon

(Daily Star-Lebanon) Riad Kahwaji - The bitter memory of the 15-year civil war is still very fresh in the minds of most Lebanese, who blame the PLO for sparking it back in 1975. Since the Palestinians in Lebanon, who number at least 200,000, are mostly Sunnis, if they are resettled they will tip the demographic balance in favor of the Lebanese Sunni community, which does not suit either the Shiites or the Maronite Christians. The Palestinian Authority should disengage the Palestinian refugee problem once and for all from the internal Lebanese conflict. This could be achieved through a bold move by Abbas to order PLO guerrillas in Lebanese refugee camps to hand over their weapons to the Lebanese authorities in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for disbanding all armed militias in Lebanon. The Lebanese government would have no choice but to become responsible for the internal security of these camps that have become a safe haven for gangsters and Islamic fundamentalist groups. The second step should be the absorption of most of the Palestinian refugees from Lebanon by large Western countries such as Canada, Australia, and even the U.S. The writer is the founder of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) in Dubai.
2005-06-17 00:00:00
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