BEIRUT (AFP) – One of the Palestinian militant groups which retains bases in Lebanon said that it would only discuss laying down its weapons once the country’s 380,000 Palestinian refugees have been accorded basic civic rights. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) — a hardline pro-Syrian group — demanded that a week-long national dialogue conference under way in Beirut tackle the plight of the refugees and not simply the question of militant weapons.
"The Palestinian question in Lebanon should not be discussed exclusively from the security point of view. We’re asking the dialogue conference … to decide on concrete steps as far as the humanitarian, civic and political rights of the Palestinians," PFLP-GC spokesman Anwar Rajab told reporters."If that’s done, the weapons question will not be a problem."Resolution 1559, adopted by the UN Security Council in 2004, requires the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon, including the Shiite militant group Hezbollah as well as Palestinian groups.