Habash calls for a united Lebanese, Palestinian front
Palestine, Politics, 11/17/1999

The secretary general of the People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine, George Habash, has called on the Lebanese and Palestinians to work together in a joint front in confrontation of settling the Palestinians in the Arab states.

In a meeting with the AFP on Tuesday, Habash said, "It is very difficult to force the Palestinians to settle definitely in the Arab states." He added that Lebanon is against settling the Palestinians, saying that if Lebanon and the Palestinian forces have united their forces "no such a settlement will be made."

The issue of the Palestinian refugees is considered one of the main points on the agenda of the final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Lebanon which hosts almost 300,000 Palestinians (mostly Muslim Sunni) has fears that it will be obliged to host those Palestinians permanently at the end of peace negotiations.

Habash, on the other hand, accused the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat of committing a crime against some 4 million Palestinian refugees in his efforts to establish "a caricature Palestinian state."

Habash said, "The only thing Arafat seeks is to have a fragile state and the importance for him is to have the red carpet at the reception protocols, while the fate of the refugees and the right of the Palestinians to self-determination are of no concern to him."

Habash stated that Arafat is not serious in his dialogue with the Palestinian opposition democratic and people's fronts for the liberation of Palestine. Rather, Habash said, Arafat seeks to have a Palestinian cover for his policy especially concerning the "caricature state project."

Habash continued, "Personally I was against such a dialogue, but the majority in the lines of the People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine had another view, and they wanted to explore the possibilities of reactivating the institutions of the PLO on democratic foundations."

The People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine calls for new elections in the framework of the Palestinian National Council (the parliament in exile), a matter which is ruled out by the Palestinian Authority, taking into account that it is difficult to avoid pressures by the Arab states on the Palestinians living in their territories.

Habash continued that he is thinking of resigning from the post of the general secretariat of the PFLP before the end of this year for several reasons. He said in this regard: "I want to write my own diaries and hoping to establish a research center as well as to take part in building an Arab national front against normalization with Israel."

Previous Stories:
  Expected changes in behavior between Syria and Israel regarding Palestinian opposition   (10/7/1999)
  Abu Ali Mustafa ends life of exile   (10/1/1999)
  Hamas denies receiving invitation to participate in discussions with Palestinian government   (9/30/1999)

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