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Palestinians in Lebanon do not need weapons: Abbas

04 July 2013 18:20 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas assured Thursday that the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon need no weapons to protect themselves, stressing that the Palestinian Authority does not meddle in the affairs of Arab countries, including Lebanon, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Abbas made his remarks following talks with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail.

He said "We are in no need of weapons because we are protected by the Lebanese government and people," adding "we are open to whatever Lebanese decision is taken to control the arms in the Palestinian refugee camps."

For his part, Miqati hailed Abbas' position, hoping that Palestinians would respect the Palestinian Authority's decision that they refrain from interfering in Lebanese internal affairs.

He noted "Lebanon is suffering from the burden of Syrian and Palestinian refugee and we hope that the Palestinian refugees would not take sides in the crisis in the neighboring country."

Abbas reiterated after talks with Speaker Nabih Berri his respect for the all decisions taken by official Lebanese authorities over the Palestinian refugees.

He said "In Lebanon, we are most concerned with the country's stability and security. We are temporary guests in Lebanon and we hope that we may soon return to our homeland."

He added "we must abide by Lebanon's rules as long as we are its guests."

The Palestinian president arrived in Lebanon Wednesday on a three-day visit where he is set to meet with a number of senior officials.

He kicked off the trip by holding talks with President Michel Suleiman at the Baabda Palace.