Charbel: Lebanon Should Not Be Affected by Syrian Crisis

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel confirmed that Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn had informed cabinet that al-Qaida members had infiltrated the Bekaa town of Arsal.

He told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat however that the minister only spoke of information he obtained and not of reports that al-Qaida members had been arrested, especially since the border region are controlled by the Lebanese army.

“I don’t know if this information is a result of the coordination between the Lebanese and Syrian armies,” he added.

On whether the unrest in Syria may spill over to Lebanon, Charbel said: “As long as the March 8 and 14 camps remain committed to unity and their country’s safety, then the instability in Syria will not spread to Lebanon.”

“We should not be affected by the Syrian developments, whether its regime changes or not,” he stressed.

“We enjoy strong ties with our Syrian brothers and they should remain strong regardless if the regime remains or not,” he added.

Meanwhile, Lebanese source told the denied Ghosn’s claims that al-Qaida had infiltrated Lebanon, saying that no official information on the matter is available.

Ghosn had warned on Tuesday that al-Qaida members have entered the country through Arsal “under the guise of being members of the Syrian opposition”.

The defense minister said that reining in such incidents was “first and foremost the responsibility of the army and security forces,” but added that “at the same time it is a national responsibility that must be shouldered by all Lebanese parties.”

The mayor of Arsal Mohammed al-Hujairi criticized the allegations, calling on the government to deploy the Lebanese army and security forces in the town in order to confirm that no extremists had entered the country, reported the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper on Sunday.

He revealed that Arsal authorities will soon hold a meeting with Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji in order to tackle this issue.