Fatah Al-Islam refuses to surrender militants to Lebanon

NAHR AL-BARED (AFP) - Fatah Al-Islam, the extremist group battling Lebanese troops in a Palestinian refugee camp, said on Tuesday it was refusing to hand over militants but was working with mediators to find an end to the standoff.

"We refuse to hand over any member of Fatah Al-Islam," spokesman Abu Salim Taha told AFP.

Lebanese government forces have been besieging armed militants from Fatah al-Islam in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon since the Islamist group attacked army targets on May 20.

A three-member delegation of clerics from the Union of Palestinian Scholars met Fatah Al-Islam militants in the camp on Sunday.

The government has insisted on the handover of fighters to stand trial over attacks against its armed forces during the bloodiest fighting in Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war.

"We are still working with the delegation of the Union of Palestinian Scholars in order to find a political solution," Taha said.

"I don't want to get into the details of the negotiations which are based on finding a political solution."

He said Fatah Al-Islam has been observing a complete ceasefire since Monday night, "and will continue to observe it for 24 hours in order to allow the entry of aid to the residents of the camp."