The Battle for Nahr al-Bared

The Battle for Nahr al-Bared began this morning. The intense Lebanese army artillery fire on the Palestinian refugee camp appears to be the beginning of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's plan to eliminate the Islamist Fatal al-Islam faction if negotiations for its surrender failed to produce results.

Here's the full transcript on the Tripoli crisis from my time.com interview with Siniora Thursday afternoon:

TIME: What is the government's plan for resolving the Tripoli crisis?

Siniora: This is a groop of people who came into Lebanon, assembled in Lebanon, and acquired the name Fatah al-Islam. They are completely innocent of these two names. They have nothing to do with Islam and nothing to do with Palestine. They are a group, actually, of terrorists.

They were the people behind the two bombs that exploded in the two buses [on Feb. 14] and killed a number of civilians. This is not an accusation. This is a confession that was made when we arrested a number of them. They later on made several robberies. The internal security forces were about to storm the apartment they were in, when simultaneously the army was attacked. It started that way. I could have said, “OK, they slapped me in the face, sorry gentlemen, I cannot do anything.” Then why I am I here as the state?

TIME: What s your plan for dealing with Fatah al-Islam?

Siniora: I have plenty of problems, yes. The only thing I can do is stand fast on behalf of all the Lebanese. I would say this is a terrorist attack and we have to fight back. How to fight back? We have to use all means.

That's why I invoted all the Palestinian [leaders] to come in the second day, in the morning. They came in and I put the matter in front of them. All of them said we condemn what happend, we disassociate and distance ourselves from this and we are ready to help in putting an end to this phenomenon. They are still making negotiations. Yes, I want to find a peaceful splution. A peaceful solution means what? These people have to surrender themslve to the Lebanese state. We can assure them they will have a very fair trial. Those who are part in the crime, they will have to be sentenced.

Our position is that we cannot tolerate the continuation of such terrorist groups in the camp. [Fatah al-islam] has been really attacking the Lebanese army and security. They have to surrender themselves to Lebanese justice.

This is not a fight between Palestinians and Lebanese. This is a fight between Lebanese and Palestinians on one hand, and the terrorists on the other. This group in particular is against the Palestinian cause. Every Palestinian leader is agreeing with me. It is not in their intersst to be associated with terrorists like that. They are agreeable and showing ways and means to cooperate. We are trying to convince these terrorists to surrender themlseves. They may or they may not. But in the meantime, the army has the responsibility.

Civilians are still there. We have to be very careful about them. The total population of the camp is about 32-33,000 people. What is left is slightly above 3,000. The remaining already moved to other camps and other places. We are taking care of them. This is our responsibility to take care of them. That is what we are doing.

The Council of Ministers asked the Lebanese army to look into the matter and see how this can be treated in case we fail to achieve results through political means. Then the army is entitled to make all the surgical arrangements to uproot them from that camp.

It is not in the interests of the camp or the people of the camp. What I'm saying clearly to the people of the camp is that you are moved from your camp into another place, to really make sure you are secure. At same time we are undertaking that you will get back to your place, and we undertake to rebuild that which has been destroyed.

TIME: What is your timetable for negotiations?

Siniora: We are working on this matter in the best manner possible, assessing the matter from all aspects. We are confident that we are within the time that we have allotted to ourselves.

TIME: Is there a deadline for the negotiations?

Siniora: Days. Definitely, I'm not saying months.

TIME: Does the army have the capacity to solve this by military means?

Siniora: The army can put the plan that can guarantee achieving the objective with the least effort and least cost. At the end of the day, there is no solution that doesn't have a side effect. Tell me about any country that had to face a problem like we are in, made by terrorists, and how did they act? The army cannot afford not to be successful.

TIME: Is there a danger of the clashes spreading to other Palestinian camps?

Siniora: There is this risk. But this is not in the interests of the Palestinians.

TIME: What about Lebanese groups joining in?

Siniora: And not in interests of Lebanese, I don't think, because this will mean lots of instability that is not in the interests of even the outside parties that have an interest in Lebanon. Because this has major repercussions.

TIME: It is said Fatah al-Islam is linked to Syria.

Siniora: To Syrian intelligence. This is exactly what I have heard from the interrogators [of 20 arrested suspects]. That there are some connections with some Syrian intelligence. Now whether this Syrian intelligence [operatives] are working on their own, or guided by higher superiors, I don't know. We'll have to find out.

TIME: What was the connection?

Siniora: In the way they were assembled, the way they came, the way they got their ammunition and arms, in the way they were discussing and developing their plans and so on. I'm not talking about a telephone call. I prefer not to get into more specifics than that.

TIME: Why would Syria support such a group?

Siniora: Why did they choose 13 February to make this first crime? To discourage people from participating in 14 February demonstration [marking the anniversary of Hariri's assassination]. Why make this last attack on Lebanese army? To discourage the Lebanese, and the Lebanese army, from taking any effort towards further consolidation of the country. And at same time, make the country as a whole more vulnerable.

--By Scott MacLeod/Beirut