March 14 to Stir Syrian Violations of Lebanon’s Border in Next Dialogue Session
The March 14 opposition coalition intends to stir the issue of Syrian violations of Lebanese sovereignty during the next national dialogue session later this month, high-ranking sources said Thursday.
The sources told An Nahar daily that the opposition representatives at the all-party talks will bring up the issue on June 25 when top Lebanese leaders convene for the second time since the dialogue resumed under President Michel Suleiman last Monday.
According to the March 14 sources, the two violations by Syrian troops of the Lebanese eastern border area on Wednesday were a political and security message aimed at targeting the “Baabda Declaration” made following the national dialogue session on Monday.
The continued silence of the authorities, the government and the allies of the Syrian regime in Lebanon to the violations committed by Syrian troops would put a double responsibility on them when questioned as to how they intend to safeguard the declaration, the sources told An Nahar.
In a statement issued after the Baabda palace meeting, the 16 leaders agreed among other things on the need to control the Lebanese-Syrian border and rejected the idea of a buffer zone between the two countries.
The March 14 forces have counted 21 violations of Lebanon’s eastern and northern border since November 2011, An Nahar said.
They described the infiltration of Syrian troops into the eastern border town of Arsal on Wednesday as very dangerous, saying Lebanese authorities should have filed a complaint with the U.N. Security Council.
An Nahar quoted security sources as saying that the soldiers entered up to three kilometers inside Lebanese territories and kidnapped Mohammed Khaled al-Hujairi from his farm. They also set ablaze a farm house belonging to the town’s municipal chief Ali al-Hujairi.
The kidnapped man was released later in the day.
The other violation of Lebanese sovereignty on Wednesday was made when Syrian troops crossed briefly into eastern Lebanon's border region of Masharii al-Qaa and planted mines around the home of a local resident, a Lebanese security official told Agence France Presse.
The official said the troops entered some 300 meters inside Lebanese territory and placed the mines outside Mohammad Akeel's home.
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