Saniora Rejects Attacks on Army but Criticizes its Militia-Like Role
Al-Mustaqbal bloc chief MP Fouad Saniora on Sunday rejected assaults on the army but also refused what he said were some militia-like acts committed by soldiers two weeks ago in their battle with Salafists in the southern city of Sidon.
“Whoever committed a crime against the army should be held accountable,” Saniora said in a speech ahead of a large-scale meeting held by March 14 officials at the residence of Sidon MP Bahia Hariri.
But he described as “unacceptable” and a “militia-like behavior” the alleged torture and abuse seen on videotapes in the aftermath of the battles between the army and the followers of Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir in Abra, near Sidon.
“How would there be law enforcement if some soldiers acted like militias?” he asked.
“It is unacceptable to enforce the law in Sidon while several violations are committed elsewhere,” he said, giving the example of alleged armed groups set up by Hizbullah in different Lebanese regions.
The Sidon lawmaker hailed the army's announcement on Saturday that it detained several soldiers for assaulting a man suspected of involvement in the clashes.
“Only legitimate armed forces have the right to carry weapons. Any arms outside state institutions are rejected,” he said.
Saniora also rejected the alleged involvement of “Hizbullah's militias” in the Sidon fighting alongside the army.
“We haven't yet received answers as to how the army allowed Hizbullah to participate in the clashes,” he said.
Saniora condemned al-Asir's “big sin” by fighting the army, but he said that the cleric had “fallen in the trap set for him.”
The Abra battles could have been avoided by vacating the apartments of Hizbullah in Sidon, he said.
The apartments were one of the main reasons for Asir's campaign against Hizbullah.
Saniora called for a fair and transparent investigation into the clashes that left 18 soldiers and 20 of al-Asir's followers dead and plenty of destruction.
“We want answers to the questions we raised in the memo that we delivered to President Michel Suleiman,” he said.
The memo asks for the referral of the case to the Judicial Council and the prevention of all armed activities in the city.
It also calls for the removal of all political flags from the city and the closure of all offices belonging to “armed groups,” in reference to Hizbullah.
“We won't come under the rule of Hizbullah's arms,” Saniora said at the end of his speech.
Batroun MP Butros Harb spoke after him, reiterating that all arms are rejected.
“We hold onto the state of law … We reject all illegitimate arms and call for keeping them under the control of the state,” he said.
Harb appealed for armed groups to “lay down their weapons to prevent Lebanon's destruction.”
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