A Palestinian cleric trying to negotiate a ceasefire to allow the families of Islamist militants to leave a besieged camp in northern Lebanon said on Wednesday phone contact with the Fatah al-Islam extremists had been lost. "We were awaiting a response about the number of people to be evacuated and the time, in order to secure a corridor," Mohammed Hajj, spokesman for the Ulemas or clerics, told reporters. "We were surprised because they are no longer answering their phone."Lebanese army helicopters launched six raids on Fatah al-Islam positions inside the Nahr al-Bared camp overnight. Intermittent artillery and tank fire continued to target militants inside the camp on Wednesday. Hajj had said on Tuesday that a representative of Fatah al-Islam contacted the clerics overnight on Monday, seeking a way out for the women and children who are said to number less than 100. The army said it had agreed and was ready for a truce that would allow the families safe passage out of the devastated Palestinian refugee camp. "We gave our agreement on Tuesday but have heard nothing since," an army spokesman said.
He also said the army had detained a Fatah al-Islam fighter three kilometres (two miles) north of Nahr al-Bared on Wednesday. The man, a Palestinian, was captured by an army patrol on the coast after he had fled the camp by sea, the spokesman said.
According to a source close to the negotiations, the clerics have drawn up a list of 50 women and 20 children, including the wife of Fatah al-Islam chief Shaker al-Abssi and the widow of his number two, Abu Hureira, who was killed at the beginning of August. Previous mediation attempts over the past three months by the Palestinian clerics aimed at securing the militants' surrender or the safe conduct of their families have failed.
On July 11 the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) tried in vain to evacuate 45 women and 20 children, all related to Islamist fighters inside Nahr al-Bared. The remaining militants, thought to number about 70, have been holed up inside the camp since May 20. At least 200 people, including 141 soldiers, have been killed in the deadliest internal unrest in Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war.
Update
According to Mohammed Hajj, their contact is Abi Salim Taha. Taha's cellular phone was not operational but service has since been resumed and he should now be in a position to receive and make calls. Hajj also stated that he sensed more flexibility on the issue of the surrender of the fighters of Fatah al Islam, when he last talked to Taha. According to army sources the logistics for evacuating the women and children have been completed. Women army soldiers will handle the evacuation with the help of the Red Cross.