Cairo agreement
Encyclopedia
The Cairo agreement or Cairo accord was an agreement reached on 2 November 1969 during talks between Yassir Arafat and the Lebanese
army commander General Emile Bustani. Egypt
ian president Gamal Abdel Nasser
helped to broker the deal.
Although the text of the agreement was never published, an unofficial (but probably accurate) text appeared in the Lebanese daily newspaper An-Nahar
on 20 April 1970. The agreement established principles under which the presence and activities of Palestinian
guerrillas in southeast Lebanon would be tolerated and regulated by the Lebanese authorities.
Under the agreement the 16 official UNWRA
camps in Lebanon - home to 300,000 Palestinian refugee
s - were removed from the stern jurisdiction of the Maronite-dominated Lebanese army's Deuxième Bureau and placed under the authority of the Palestinian Armed Struggle Command. Although the camps remained under Lebanese sovereignty the new arrangements meant that, after 1969, they became a key popular base for the guerrilla movement.
The agreement also established the right of the Palestinian residents of Lebanon "to join the Palestinian revolution through armed struggle".
Subsequently, the Palestine Liberation Organization
effectively established "a state within a state" in Lebanon.
in September 1970, the Lebanese army being incapable of limiting the areas of PLO activity. In April 1975 civil war
broke out in Lebanon between the PLO and the Christians and several months later the leftist Lebanese National Movement
entered the conflict on the side of the PLO. Following the military successes of this alliance the right-wing Maronite president Suleiman Frangieh
called upon Syria
to intervene. The PLO subsequently retreated to the south, but continued guerrilla operations across the Lebanon-Israel
border, resulting in the Israeli invasion of March, 1978.
Escalations in the conflict led ultimately to the Israeli invasion and occupation of Lebanon in the 1982 Lebanon War
.
signed a law that annuls the Cairo Agreement with the PLO. The law repealing the agreement was first approved by the Lebanese parliament on May 21 1987, and later subsequently signed by the prime minister Salim El Hoss.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
army commander General Emile Bustani. Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian president Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
helped to broker the deal.
Although the text of the agreement was never published, an unofficial (but probably accurate) text appeared in the Lebanese daily newspaper An-Nahar
An-Nahar
An-Nahar , is the leading Arabic-language daily newspaper in Lebanon.It was first published on August 4, 1933 as a four-page, hand-set paper. The paper provided a platform for various free thinkers to express their views during the years of the Syria occupation of Lebanon. The paper can be best...
on 20 April 1970. The agreement established principles under which the presence and activities of Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
guerrillas in southeast Lebanon would be tolerated and regulated by the Lebanese authorities.
Under the agreement the 16 official UNWRA
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is a relief and human development agency, providing education, health care, social services and emergency aid to 5 million Palestine refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as in the West Bank and the Gaza...
camps in Lebanon - home to 300,000 Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s - were removed from the stern jurisdiction of the Maronite-dominated Lebanese army's Deuxième Bureau and placed under the authority of the Palestinian Armed Struggle Command. Although the camps remained under Lebanese sovereignty the new arrangements meant that, after 1969, they became a key popular base for the guerrilla movement.
The agreement also established the right of the Palestinian residents of Lebanon "to join the Palestinian revolution through armed struggle".
Subsequently, the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
effectively established "a state within a state" in Lebanon.
Consequences
Palestinian involvement did increase in Lebanon in the early 1970s, especially after the failed coup in JordanBlack September in Jordan
September 1970 is known as the Black September in Arab history and sometimes is referred to as the "era of regrettable events." It was a month when Hashemite King Hussein of Jordan moved to quash the militancy of Palestinian organizations and restore his monarchy's rule over the country. The...
in September 1970, the Lebanese army being incapable of limiting the areas of PLO activity. In April 1975 civil war
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
broke out in Lebanon between the PLO and the Christians and several months later the leftist Lebanese National Movement
Lebanese National Movement
The Lebanese National Movement or Mouvement National Libanais in French, was a front of parties and organizations active during the early years of the Lebanese Civil War...
entered the conflict on the side of the PLO. Following the military successes of this alliance the right-wing Maronite president Suleiman Frangieh
Suleiman Frangieh
Suleiman Kabalan Frangieh, last name also spelled Frangié, Franjieh, or Franjiyeh , was President of Lebanon from 1970 to 1976...
called upon Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
to intervene. The PLO subsequently retreated to the south, but continued guerrilla operations across the Lebanon-Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
border, resulting in the Israeli invasion of March, 1978.
Escalations in the conflict led ultimately to the Israeli invasion and occupation of Lebanon in the 1982 Lebanon War
1982 Lebanon War
The 1982 Lebanon War , , called Operation Peace for Galilee by Israel, and later known in Israel as the Lebanon War and First Lebanon War, began on 6 June 1982, when the Israel Defense Forces invaded southern Lebanon...
.
Repeal
In June 1987, the Lebanese President Amine GemayelAmine Gemayel
Amine Pierre Gemayel was President of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988 and is the leader of Kataeb Party.Born in the Lebanese village of Bikfaya, Amine Gemayel is the son of Pierre Gemayel, founder of the Kataeb Party...
signed a law that annuls the Cairo Agreement with the PLO. The law repealing the agreement was first approved by the Lebanese parliament on May 21 1987, and later subsequently signed by the prime minister Salim El Hoss.