Aoun holds security meeting on camps disarmament after 'excellent' talks with Berri

President Joseph Aoun held Friday a security meeting with the Minister of Defense, the Army Commander, and the Intelligence chief over the disarmament of Palestinian camps in Lebanon, which will start in mid-June in three Beirut camps.

Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri had met earlier Friday at the Baabda Palace, in talks described by Berri as "excellent."

A joint Lebanese-Palestinian committee met for the first time last week following an accord between Lebanese and Palestinian leaders on disarming Palestinian camps as Lebanon seeks to impose its authority on all its territory.

The Lebanese and Palestinian sides agreed on starting a plan to remove weapons from the camps, beginning mid-June in the Beirut camps, and other camps will follow.

Lebanon hosts about 222,000 Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations agency UNRWA, many living in 12 overcrowded official camps.

Most are descendants of Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their land during the creation of Israel in 1948.