Abbas in Beirut Tuesday to Seek ‘Effective’ Role in Palestinian U.N. Bid

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who visits Beirut on Tuesday, is expecting that the Palestinian bid for United Nations recognition will receive a boost from Lebanon's taking over the presidency of the U.N. Security Council.

In an interview with al-Liwaa daily published Monday, Abbas hoped that Lebanon would play an effective role in his bid for U.N. membership on September 20, despite Israeli opposition.

He said that he rejects the presence of Palestinian arms in Lebanon “because they don’t have any value on Lebanese territories.”

“We reiterated that we will hand over the arms at the time that Lebanese authorities see appropriate,” he told the newspaper. “We are responsible for arms inside the camps but the weapons that are outside our responsibility, belong to other organizations that carry them for personal reasons.”

Abbas hoped that some political parties in Lebanon would understand that giving rights to Palestinian people does not mean naturalizing them.

Diplomatic sources told An Nahar daily that Abbas’ two day visit will be aimed at discussing with Lebanese officials the issue of Palestinian camps, armed bases outside the shantytowns and the improvement of the humanitarian conditions of refugees.

During his visit, Abbas will inaugurate the Palestinian embassy and hoist the flag after the Lebanese cabinet officially recognized the state of Palestine and approved to raise the level of diplomatic representation with it.

The Palestinian president is scheduled to meet with President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour and Lebanon’s envoy to the U.N. Nawwaf Salam.

Abbas arrived Sunday in Bosnia, a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, seeking to win support for the Palestinian bid for U.N. membership.

His trip to Lebanon is also essential for his cause given that Beirut assumes the presidency of the Security Council in September.