Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced on Monday that authorities will begin tackling the issue of weapons in three Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut in mid-June.
Lebanese-Palestinian committees have been formed to handle the task, he added.
Lebanon is home to 12 Palestinian refugee camps.
Aoun received a US Congressional delegation, headed by Senator Angus King, at the Baabda presidential palace on Monday.
Aoun told them that the lifting of American sanctions off Syria was a step in the right direction because it will help resolve the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon.
He reiterated previous statements made by other Lebanese officials that the United Nations must offer the refugees assistance in their home country, not in Lebanon.
Some 800,000 Syrian refugees are registered in Lebanon, but officials say the figure is much higher given the number of unregistered refugees.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had visited Lebanon last week where he met with Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Discussions focused on the need to remove weapons from the Palestinian refugee camps and for the Lebanese state to have monopoly over arms in the country.
Salam and Abbas announced the formation of a joint Lebanese-Palestinian executive committee that will carry out the agreements. It held its first meeting on Friday.
The issue of state monopoly over arms is a priority for the international community, which has been pressing Lebanon to make progress in this issue as the country seeks aid in the reconstruction following the war between Israel and Hezbollah last year.
Hezbollah’s weapons
Hezbollah’s arsenal is another focus of the international community and Lebanese efforts. Aoun had vowed during his swearing in speech that only the state will have monopoly over arms.
A Hezbollah parliamentary delegation met with Aoun on Monday on the occasion of the 25th Resistance and Liberation Day, which fell on Sunday.
Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem marked the occasion by declaring that the war with Israel “is not over”, accusing it of failing to respect the ceasefire.
“Do not ask anything from us. Let Israel withdraw from Lebanese positions, cease its attacks and release the prisoners. Only then will we talk,” he added.
Aoun had previously declared that he will hold dialogue with Hezbollah over its need to lay down its arms.
Berri, a Hezbollah ally, has said he will support and facilitate his efforts, government sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Ministerial sources revealed that Aoun is hoping to make progress in this file before next year’s parliamentary elections in May.
Following the meeting with the president on Monday, Hezbollah MP Mohammed Raad said discussions focused on preserving Lebanon’s national sovereignty and ending the Israeli occupation of five Lebanese positions.
“There are no closed doors in the exchange of ideas with the president. There is a lot of room for understanding,” he remarked.
“We do not believe we should be committed to a timing, place or mechanism, as long as the president is keen on achieving priorities, starting with preserving sovereignty, ending the occupation and ending Israeli violations.”
The Hezbollah delegation met with Berri earlier on Monday. Informed sources described the meeting as positive.
Raad said: “The people of the South are banking on the resistance (Hezbollah) in liberating occupied territory in order to pave the way for the reconstruction of destroyed villages.”
