NNA - President of the Republic, Michel Sleiman, said that he saw eye to eye with Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, over the importance that the Palestinians avoid slipping into Lebanon's internal problems or the Syrian crisis.



President Sleiman's fresh words came Wednesday during a joint press conference with President Abbas, in the wake of talks at Baabda palace on means of bolstering bilateral relations and supporting the Palestinian cause at the international podiums, in addition to the present conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.



Sleiman said that they both highly lauded the exerted efforts to control any involvement of Palestinian armed groups in the recent Sidon events, not to mention the Lebanese army's actions to enforce the law.



"We underlined the necessity to work together to implement the decisions of dialogue concerning the Palestinian presence.... particularly with respect to arms inside and outside camps," Sleiman said, indicating that talks also dwelt on the issue of the displaced Palestinians from Syria.



Sleiman and Abbas also agreed on the need to find political solutions to the crises in the Arab world and on consecrating national co-existence on the basis of partnership and citizenship.



Sleiman also disclosed that he discussed with Abbas international endeavors to revive the peace process in the Middle East, in light of exerted efforts to find a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict in the entire region.



Sleiman stressed before Abbas keenness that any solution should not come at the account of Lebanon, especially with respect to rejecting Palestinian refugees' implantation and bracing instead Palestinians' repatriation right.



Sleiman also noted that the Arab Spring shall not prevail if the Palestinian cause is not resolved.



Abbas, for his part, said that the safety and integrity of Lebanese territories is a sacred matter to the Palestinians. He said that Palestinian arms in Lebanon are a decision in the hands of President of the Republic and the Lebanese government.



"We receive orders concerning the safety of Lebanon from the president and the government out of our concern on Lebanon's security and unity," Abbas said, stressing that the Palestinians' presence in Lebanon is a temporal one, pending their return to their homeland.



On the Palestinian stance vis-a-vis current events in Syria and Egypt, Abbas said that they don't interfere in the internal affairs of these countries, stressing that they are not a side in any conflict.



On the other hand, Abbas highly weighed up the Arab peace initiative, saying it has become part of the international legitimacy and should be fully implemented without any amendment. He voiced commitment to a just, comprehensive peace on the basis of 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.



On the current events in Egypt, Abbas described the situation as "difficult and complicated," wishing Egypt safety, security and stability amidst such intricate circumstances.



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