Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Beirut just before noon and headed to Baabda Palace to meet with President Michel Suleiman . Following the meeting he denied the reports that were circulating yesterday claiming that the Palestinian authorities will be issuing passports to the Palestinians in Lebanon . He told reporters that the presence of the Palestinians in Lebanon is temporary and he is coordinating security issues with the Lebanese government.
As Safir : Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas is bringing with him a plan that calls for setting up a committee to transform the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to an expatriate community . The refugees in such a case will be given passports that will allow them to travel anywhere except the West Bank and Gaza
Several Fatah officers have launched an uprising against the movement’s National Security Forces official in Lebanon Brig. Gen. Adib al-Hassan to protest a new shake-up within the military ranks in the Palestinian refugee camps of Tyre.
According to As Safir daily the uprising was triggered by al-Hassan when he assigned leadership responsibilities to a single commander rather than the usual three people in charge of security at each camp.
As Safir reported that that the Fatah officers sent a letter of protest to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Central Committee and the movement’s leadership urging the Fatah chief to “immediately interfere to solve the situation before it goes out of hand.”
Abbas is expected in Lebanon on Monday for talks with President Michel Suleiman on bilateral relations and the plight of Palestinian refugees.