March 14 Officials Visit Shaar amid Call for Civil Peace, Coexistence

A delegation from the March 14 general-secretariat visited the northern city of Tripoli in a show of support and held talks with Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar to stress coexistence.

“What harms Tripoli, harms us as well,” said March 14 general-secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid at al-Shaar's residence.

“The killers belong to the sect of killers and do not belong to the Christian or Muslim confessions,” he said.

Tripoli has been rocked with a series of bloody incidents, the latest of which were car bombs near two Sunni mosques in August that left hundreds of casualties.

The city also witnesses continued clashes between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh, which is majority Sunni, and Jabal Mohsen, whose residents are from the Alawite sect of Syrian President Bashar Assad – a clear spillover of the war in neighboring Syria.

“We are all responsible for civil peace and coexistence,” said Soaid.

Phalange MP Samer Saadeh, who was part of the delegation that visited al-Shaar, hoped that the March 14's “initiative would be a new start for Tripoli.”

The mufti also hoped that Tripoli would be the cornerstone for civil peace in Lebanon.

He slammed the arms owned by his rivals, saying they seek to cause provocation.

Al-Shaar called during his sermon to mark Eid al-Adha on Tuesday for unity in Tripoli.

The city is urged to remain steadfast until the judiciary issues its decision against those charged in the bombing of al-Salam and al-Taqwa mosques on August 23, he said.

State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged on Monday seven people, three of whom are in custody, in connection with the blasts.