Mashnouq Says State Decisions 'Governed' by Weapons
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq on Monday said "Lebanon's major problem" lies in the existence of illegal "weapons” and their effect on the country's state decisions, pointing out that a motion will be raised after the parliamentary elections to put these arms under the state's authority, Asharq al-Awsat daily reported on Monday.
“A serious part of Lebanon's decisions are doomed to weapons, in addition to sectarianism. All other problems can be solved,” he told the daily, revealing that demands for a national defensive strategy to put the weapons under the state's control will be raised after the May elections.
On Lebanon's stability at the security level, the Minister hailed the security force’s strenuous efforts in maintaining stability, noting that “several regional and international circumstances have helped us maintain this stability.”
He pointed out that the British Interior Minister drew his attention to the fact that Beirut has not been subjected to any major security attack for nearly three years now, while the European capitals like London, Paris and Brussels were the most prominent.
“This is due, of course, to the cohesion of the security services, especially the Information Directorate which is doing a great job, the last of which is the liberation of a girl kidnapped from Bekaa, less than 9 hours after her abduction,” he said.
On developmental plans for the capital Beirut, he said: “We have taken great steps to achieve independent services in Beirut mainly in electricity, water, waste treatment and public transport.”
Source: Naharnet
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