BEIRUT (AFP) – Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Monday ruled out permanent resettlement in Lebanon for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees in an apparent bid to quell local concerns.

“The status of Palestinian refugees will remain unchanged until a comprehensive, final solution is reached” with Israel, Abbas said after meeting Lebanese President Michel Sleiman in Beirut.
“We believe there is no alternative to peace but peace itself, and we will continue our political fight for peace,” he said in a news conference.
A statement released by Sleiman's office said the two leaders rejected the naturalization of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, an issue that for years has prompted controversy in Lebanese political circles.
Leaders across the spectrum argue that the resettlement and naturalization of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees -- most of whom are Sunni Muslims -- would tip the demographic balance in Lebanon.
Around 35 percent of Lebanese are Christian and 64 percent are Muslim, both Sunnis and Shiites.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) lists almost 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, a country of four million inhabitants.
But Lebanese and Palestinian officials say the actual number may be as low as 250,000 as UNRWA does not strike off its figures those who move to other countries.
The majority of the refugees live in dire conditions in 12 camps across and are denied basic civil rights.
Abbas' trip comes amid renewed efforts to revive the Middle East peace process and concern among Lebanon's leadership that any deal on the issue of Palestinian refugees would be at the expense of the Lebanese.
It also comes ahead of Sleiman's visit to Washington next week and as Lebanon readies to take up in January its two-year post as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Abbas also met on Monday with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, whose government has acknowledged the need to address civil rights among refugees who are banned from practicing most professions or from owning property.
The government policy statement, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, says it will “continue to work to grant Palestinians in Lebanon social and humanitarian rights and ask states and international organizations to fulfill their duties.”
“We are certain the Lebanese government will give the requisite care and attention to Palestinians who are living in Lebanon temporarily,” Abbas told reporters.
“We will cooperate on security inside the camps with the Lebanese government ... because the camps are inside Lebanese territory,” he added.
Rights groups and experts warn the poor conditions in the camps and the fact that they are off-limits to the Lebanese army render them fertile ground for extremist groups.
The issue was starkly brought to light in 2007 when an obscure Al-Qaeda-inspired group called Fatah al-Islam fought fierce battles with the army at the Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon.
The fighting killed some 400 people, including 168 soldiers, and left the camp in rubble.