BEIRUT, Lebanon, October 12 (Lebanonwire) -- The Maronite league issued a statement Tuesday where it considered the issue of Palestinian weapons outside the refugee camps as an indication of a contrived plot packed with dire consequences to both Lebanese and Palestinians in Lebanon.

The league called on Palestinians to heed President Mahmoud Abbas’s call to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty, and strongly denounced the intense smuggling activity taking place at Lebanon’s border with Syria, involving Palestinian men and arms. “This is a dangerous scheme with catastrophic results on both people, a fact that has not been denied by some of the factions themselves or by the overt Palestinian statements and military displays that threaten Lebanon’s national security,” the statement said.

The league said “what’s most dangerous at this juncture, is the fact that Palestinians are asking for their cause to take center stage at a time when Lebanese are facing a terrorist threat with carefully planned bombings and assassinations aimed at destabilizing the spirit of coexistence.” It reminded that the country’s security is Lebanon’s responsibility, and asked Palestinians to resist outside hands trying to manipulate them into hurting their own cause and provoking unnecessary confrontations with the Lebanese authority.

The league said that the humanitarian conditions of the camps are not Lebanon’s responsibility. “Their condition falls on the shoulders of the international community because Lebanon is no condition to offer such assistance at this point, knowing that it had done its duty towards the camps well beyond its capacity,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, according to Al Markazia news agency, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch will in the next 48 hours meet solely with Siniora during a quick visit to Lebanon, reportedly to discuss preparations for the upcoming donor conference due in November. Welch had expressed his country’s concerns about Syrian interference in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, during a recent visit to Cairo.

Al Markazia also revealed that Palestinian Authority factions and Pro-Syrian Palestinians are attempting to unite their position following talks with Lebanese officials on the issue of weapons outside the camps, “but so far without success." It added that non-PLO factions are planning to go it alone since they are the only ones carrying weapons in training bases and hideouts near Syrian borders.

Sources have told the agency that both parties are planning to hold out on presenting their plans of action until the UN report on the Hariri investigation is out later this month.

PLO center command member Mohammad Yassine told the agency that the Palestinian arms' issue is a conspiracy aimed at suppressing the just cause of the Palestinian refugees. “When our fears subside and our vision is united with the Lebanese, then we will find a solution to everything,and especially the weapons," Yassine said.

Speaker Nabih Berri meanwhile said, “All those who are wagering on the possibility of separating the Syrian-Lebanese tracks will lose because the bet is impossible to win.” He made the statement during a visit to Qatar today, where he is conducting bi-lateral agreements with that country’s leaders.

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