Naharnet

Safadi: Tripoli Clashes Response to Government Formation

Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi stated on Saturday that the clashes that erupted in Tripoli on Friday came as a response to the government formation.

He said after holding talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati and Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas at the Grand Serail that the cabinet was a product of parliament’s will.

Earlier on Saturday, Safadi issued a statement praising the strict military and security procedures at the Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods in Tripoli that helped end the unrest that erupted on Friday.

He also commended in a statement Miqati’s “effective action that also ended the clashes,” reported the National News Agency on Saturday.

“The army will be firm in confronting any side that attempts to tamper with Lebanon’s stability and those seeking to incite strife,” he added.

“The violations of Lebanon’s security and murder of soldiers and innocent civilians must no longer go unpunished,” Safadi stressed.

Furthermore, the minister called for putting an end to “the irresponsible incitement that fuels strife,” saying that dialogue is the only way to resolve disputes.

Clashes broke out on Friday between gunmen from the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen when the former staged a demonstration in support of the Syrian people, while the latter staged one in support of the Syrian regime.

Six people were killed in the clashes, including a Lebanese soldier.


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