ABSTRACT
The "camps war" continued more or less unabated in Lebanon. The Palestinians increased their presence there and held their own against the Syrian-backed Amal militia. Meetings between officials of the various Palestinian factions were held throughout the first part of the year in Tripoli, Tunis and Algiers; the frequency of these meetings indicated the increased pace of the preparatory work. The time between the signing of the Tripoli document and the convening of the pre-Palestine National Council dialogue on 13 April was spent in trying to solve some of the outstanding problems between the parties. The Palestinian predicament in Lebanon produced a further complication in the form of rivalries between low-level Fath officials there. The Palestinians and the Syrians exchanged memorandums, the existence of which was confirmed by 'Arafat.
