Berri Angry over Lebanon Turmoil, Says Airport Road 'Red Line'
Speaker Nabih Berri expressed anger on Wednesday over the chaotic situation in Lebanon, stressing that the airport road is a “red line,” local newspapers reported.
“The hand of whoever blocks the airport road will be cut,” Berri told As Safir newspaper.
The speaker said that the army was authorized to safeguard the citizens and deal firmly with anyone who attempts to block the airport road.
“It’s a vital road,” Berri told An Nahar newspaper.
The airport road has been blocked several times recently to protest the severe electricity rationing in Beirut’s southern suburbs and by the families of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims in Syria, who were kidnapped on May 22, to protest the cabinet’s failure to release the men.
The road closure has forced travellers to go to the airport or return on foot, leading to growing frustration among passengers during the summer season which witnesses a higher number of flights from and into Beirut.
European missions in Lebanon will hold a meeting for the ambassadors deputies in Lebanon over the airport road closure as most of the European ambassadors to Lebanon are on holiday outside the country.
The meeting will tackle the impact of the Syrian crisis on the European community in Lebanon, in particular, providing their nationals with ways to depart back to their country, the Central News Agency reported.
According to the news agency, several European nationals, who fled the turmoil in the neighboring country, arrived in Lebanon to head back to their country but the airport road closure prevented them to do so.
On the ongoing clashes in the northern city of Tripoli between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen since Monday, Berri told As Safir that its merely part of the Syrian turmoil’s repercussions on Lebanon.
“Some parties are trying to slip the country into the turmoil in Syria, knowing that the developments in the region can significantly affect Lebanon,” he pointed out.
He called on all parties to assume their national responsibilities amid “this critical stage.”
Seven people were killed and 70 others were injured and 9 Lebanese army soldiers were wounded in clashes that erupted during Eid al-Fitr between the two districts of Tripoli.
The northern city has been rocked by deadly clashes in recent months between supporters and opponents of the Damascus regime as the conflict in Syria worsened with more than 23,000 reportedly killed there since March 2011.
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