An official delegation from the United Arab Emirates is expected to arrive in Beirut on Friday as part of efforts to settle the issue of expelled Lebanese Shiites from the UAE. Well-informed sources told the Al-Liwaa newspaper in remarks published Wednesday that Speaker Nabih Berri will contact UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed after having called UAE FM Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed.

Hundreds of Lebanese Shiites have been expelled from UAE in the past three months after refusing to spy on their compatriots and Hizbullah, some of those deported said.

The sources said Berri as well as Hizbullah have taken it upon themselves to settle this issue.

They quoted Berri as cautioning those involved in contacts regarding this issue against “getting engaged in a political or media dispute with the UAE.”