BEIRUT: A delegation from March 14 Beirut MPs visited Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati Tuesday as part of their ongoing efforts to reach an arms-free Greater Beirut.

MP Nuhad Mashnouq, who spoke to reporters on behalf of MPs who visited Berri, said that the speaker responded “seriously” to the issue of withdrawing light- and medium-caliber weapons from Greater Beirut, especially since its residents are from all sects and hail from different districts.

“This is an emphasis on the necessity of combating strife ... there are statistics revealing that 14 security incidents have erupted in the southern and northern suburbs of Beirut in 2011 and four security incidents in the city of Beirut,” Mashnouq explained.

“All these numbers highlight the necessity to start authoring a serious plan to hand over light and medium arms [to state authorities], I repeat – light- and medium-caliber weapons, because this has nothing to do with the resistance’s arsenal against Israel,” the lawmaker added.

Accompanying Mashnouq were MPs Jean Ogassapian, Atef Majdalani, Imad Hout and Bassem Shabb.

The other point which MPs discussed with Berri, Mashnouq continued, was the delay in disarming Palestinian groups outside Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon which leaders have agreed upon during National Dialogue Committee sessions.

Mashnouq said that the meeting was held with Berri, in his capacity as a “national authority” and as the head of the Amal Movement.

Earlier Tuesday, Beirut MPs Ghazi Youssef, Ammar Houri and Nabil de Freij visited Mikati at the Grand Serail for the same purpose and said that the prime minister responded positively.

“The prime minister’s answer was very positive in this direction and he informed us that he had asked the relevant security authorities to create a plan to achieve these goals,” Houri told reporters following the meeting.

However, a source close to Mikati told The Daily Star that the matter would not be on the Cabinet’s agenda in its session Wednesday. “It’s among the topics being studied, but it’s not on the Cabinet agenda [Wednesday].”

Houri said that MPs agreed with Mikati to continue follow-up on the issue, adding that Beirut MPs will hold a meeting at Parliament Wednesday for the same purpose.

The lawmaker said Beirut MPs would join their efforts with lawmakers representing areas located on the outskirts of the capital to achieve their goal of a demilitarized Greater Beirut.

After meeting last week in Parliament, March 14 Beirut MPs agreed to send delegations to Sleiman, Berri and Mikati to push for their long-standing demand of an arms-free capital.

Houri said that the demand to withdraw light- and medium-caliber arms from Beirut has been unanimously supported by all factions and was endorsed by Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah.

Over the weekend, Sleiman called for collecting illegal arms from cities. “The arms present in cities should be collected [by the authorities]. This issue has become a collective Lebanese demand.”