Syria closes offices of Palestinian groups

[drdon326]

Syria has closed down all offices and cut off phone lines belonging to radical Palestinian groups in Damascus, a Palestinian official announced over the weekend.

Khaled Fahoum, the former Speaker of the Palestine National Council (the PLO's parliament-in-exile), said the leaders of the Palestinian groups had gone underground for fear of being targeted by Israel.

The London-based Al Hayat newspaper quoted senior Syrian government officials as confirming that the leaders of the Palestinian groups had left Syria.

Palestinian sources said the groups were planning to move to Qatar, Tunis or Bahrain. The three countries have agreed in principle to host the Palestinian groups after Egypt turned down a similar request.

Syria has been under heavy pressure from the US to close down the offices of 10 Palestinian groups based in Damascus, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Popular Front-General Command (headed by Ahmed Jibril) and Fatah-The Revolution (headed by Abu Musa Maragha).

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1096112630891&p=1078113566627

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