Lebanese eye Palestinian posts

A tiny hut beside the swing gate provides shelter from the icy wind to the commander and six other militants. An AK-47 rifle hangs from the tin sheet roof with two magazines bound together with yellow tape. An old military radio set connected to car batteries sits on the table next to a small red portable television. The hut is lined with beds made from cinder blocks covered with thin mattresses and gray blankets.faded Palestinian flags snap in the stiff breeze. Tracks crisscross the area and huts and tents dot the horizon.

A tiny hut provides shelter from the icy wind to the commander and six other militants. An AK-47 rifle hangs from the tin sheet roof with two magazines bound together with yellow tape.

"This is an administrative position," says Abu Abdullah, denying the existence of any military equipment. "We have 25 logistical specialists and a small clinic. We don't carry weapons and we don't wear military uniforms."

But local residents and goat herders say that the PFLP-GC base is expanding with several new tracks crossing the border with Syria.

"The number of Palestinians is increasing," says goatherd Jafaar Hassan, pointing at an old Syrian military jeep inching down a steep track a few hundred yards away. He says that the camp contains armored vehicles.

On Wednesday, PFLP-GC gunmen at the same position fired warning shots and barred access to a UN team verifying the Syrian troop withdrawal.

The UN soldiers were investigating reports that Syrian soldiers were present in the base.

Hamzi Bishdawi, a PFLP-GC official, says that the incident was an "unfortunate minor misunderstanding."

"We didn't know that the UN was coming," he says. "We welcome them to come and inspect all our positions."

Would the PFLP-GC abandon their posts if requested by the Lebanese government? Bishdawi responds that the group "respects the sovereignty, independence, and freedom of Lebanon."

"It's not about a few arms," he adds. "These arms are only directed toward the Zionist enemy."

But Lebanese Information Minister Charles Rizk says that the Palestinians have no right to carry weapons in Lebanon. "We do not recognize any other armed group except the Lebanese Resistance," he says, referring to Hizbullah.

The Lebanese government was formed two weeks ago to ensure parliamentary elections are held on time. Other issues, like dismantling the Palestinian military positions, were not a priority, he says, although he adds, "We will try definitely to limit" the Palestinian military presence.

The PFLP-GC are not the only Palestinians manning military outposts along the Syrian border. In a secluded wadi just a few hundred yards from the open border with Syria, four old men, members of the small Fatah Intifada faction, sit in a hut, smoking cigarettes and drinking tea. It is a lonely posting for these wrinkled veterans of the Palestinian revolution. Their green military uniforms are crisp, and one Palestinian wears freshly polished army boots. But their fighting days are long over.

"We're going to leave here soon," says a gray-haired lieutenant colonel, leaning on a cane. "When we are sure the [refugee] camps are not in danger, then we will disarm."

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