Palestinian camps in Lebanon begin handing over weapons to army

BEIRUT, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon on Thursday started transferring weapons from Palestinian camps in the country to the Lebanese army, at the Burj Barajneh camp in Beirut, according to Ramez Dimechkie, head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee.

In a statement released by Elnashra news website, Dimechkie said, "Today marks the first step in handing over weapons, which will be placed under the custody of the Lebanese army." He added that additional batches would be collected in the coming weeks from Burj Barajneh and other camps.

Lebanese authorities have reaffirmed that all weapons in the country must be placed under state control and have tasked the Lebanese army with developing a plan, to be completed by the end of this month, to collect and remove Hezbollah's weapons.

Following a meeting on Thursday with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League Hossam Zaki also voiced support for Lebanon's sovereignty and the state's exclusive control over weapons, while urging Israel to respect international commitments and withdraw from occupied southern territories.

"We fully support Lebanon's right to extend authority over all its territory and restrict weapons to the state," Zaki told reporters.

However, according to a recent report by Lebanon's National News Agency, Hezbollah leaders had refused to relinquish their weapons and criticized Lebanese leaders for prioritizing political survival over national defense, stating that they should "remove Israel first" before debating the group's arms. Enditem