Syrian paper: What does the Palestinian Authority want from Lebanon?

The first Syrian position revealed on Tuesday concerning the death sentence in absentia against the secretary of the Fatah movement in Lebanon, Sultan Abu al-Einin, indicated increasing doubts that diplomatic mediation will succeed in dealing with this issue.

AFP quoted the Syrian state-run local Arab daily Tishreen as criticizing the Palestinian government for its behavior towards this case.

Tishreen said the Palestinian government gave a political dimension to this issue instead of instructing its representative to comply with orders of the Lebanese law, adding that after his conviction the Palestinian government increased his rank a measure that was seen by the Lebanese side as a provocative and an approval from the Palestinian government side on what he had been doing.

The Syrian paper criticized the PA, led by Yasser Arafat, for submitting the case to the Arab League and asking Europe to interfere.The Syrian paper asked, "What does this authority want from Lebanon? And with what will it drag the innocent masses of the camp (the Palestinian refugees) in Lebanon?"

Tishreen continued, "The PA bans all Palestinian resistance men from carrying weapons (on its territories)," but it "justifies to itself to provide its supporters in the camps of south Lebanon with weapons."