Mustaqbal Derides Miqati's 'Cosmetic Step' on Syrian Violations
Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday said Syria has intensified its shelling of northern border towns in order to “stoke tensions in Lebanon and the North and consequently provoke a response that would complicate things and inflict more harm on both the Syrians and the Lebanese.”
“After the foiling of the conspiracy that was being plotted by the cell of the criminals (ex-minister Michel) Samaha and (Syrian security chief Ali) Mamlouk, the Syrian regime is trying to export tensions to Lebanon in any possible way, that’s why the violations against Lebanese sovereignty have intensified,” the bloc said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.
“Therefore, the bloc sees the cosmetic move taken by the prime minister (Najib Miqati) as pitiful, weak and too little too late,” the bloc added.
It stressed that the government must rather take “serious steps” such as “considering the Syrian ambassador a persona nan grata; filing a complaint with the Arab League; notifying the Security Council of the spate of violations; suspending the security treaties between the two countries and the Higher Lebanese-Syrian Council; and asking UNIFIL to help Lebanon control the Lebanese-Syrian border.”
The March 14 opposition has criticized Miqati for asking Lebanon’s envoy to Damascus to relay to Syrian authorities “objections” over the shelling of Lebanese border towns, a ministerial source said on Tuesday.
The source told al-Liwaa newspaper that Miqati’s request neither included a complaint nor a protest. On Monday, Miqati requested the ambassador, Michel al-Khoury, to send an urgent message to the Syrian Foreign Ministry over Syria’s ongoing shelling of Lebanese border towns.
The message includes Lebanon’s warning of the “negative repercussions” the shelling is having on the security measures the army has taken to maintain the stability along the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Separately, al-Mustaqbal bloc voiced concerns over the latest security incidents, such as “the discovery of arms depots in Tripoli owned by groups that are financed and backed by Hizbullah in the al-Zahriyeh area where some of them attacked the army and wounded soldiers.”
“But they were later released without any judicial measures or penalizing steps, which contributed to undermining the state’s image and encouraging violators to carry on with their disregard for law and order,” the bloc added.
It also criticized the release on bail of Wissam Alaeddine, who was caught red-handed during the recent attack on al-Jadeed television’s building, accusing Hizbullah of practicing pressures on the judiciary. The bloc also slammed the celebratory gunfire that followed Alaeddine’s release and the fact that no legal measures were taken against the shooters.
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