Miqati Says he is Seeking for Arms-Free Tripoli, No Compromise on Civil Peace
Prime Minister Najib Miqati said he backs calls for announcing Tripoli an arms-free city, stressing he does not differentiate between Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh districts which witnessed armed clashes on Friday.
“The situation in Tripoli is under control,” Miqati told As Safir daily published Monday. “The Lebanese army is playing its full role on the ground in cooperation with the Internal Security Forces.”
“There is no differentiation between Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh,” he said, adding “there is no compromise at all on civil peace and security.”
Asked about demands by Saad Hariri’s al-Mustaqbal movement to declare Tripoli an arms-free city, Miqati said: “This is what I am seeking and this is my ambition from the start.”
The premier slammed al-Mustaqbal for hinting that he was accusing it of instigating the fighting between his hometown’s two districts.
“I haven’t accused al-Mustaqbal movement and I don’t accuse anyone without evidence,” he told As Safir. “Anyways, I will not argue with them about this.”
The newspaper said that Miqati held talks with ISF chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi and head of ISF’s Intelligence Bureau Col. Wissam al-Hassan on Saturday night.
He informed the two men that “security is a red line and that the armed forces should play their full role in imposing stability in all of Tripoli’s neighborhoods.”
“There is no differentiation between one Tripoli resident and another,” Miqati reportedly told them.
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