Miqati Throws Weight behind Armed Forces to Stop Tripoli from Becoming a 'Mailbox'

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Saturday issued a stern warning that the northern city of Tripoli will not be a “mailbox,” saying the ball is now in the court of the armed forces that will use all their means to end the deadly fighting between rival gunmen.

“The army command and the leaders of the security forces informed officials that they will use all the authorities given to them after they exerted all efforts to restore security and stability in Tripoli,” Miqati told officials who visited him at the Grand Serail.

Meetings held between top officials in the past two days stressed a “strict and balanced” control for the situation in Tripoli, he said, adding that the city's officials have also announced that they were lifting the political cover from outlaws.

In remarks to An Nahar newspaper published on Saturday, Miqati said that his hometown “will not be a mailbox or a target for sending different messages and that the state should protect its residents and prevent the death of innocent people in their homes.”

Miqati said restoring security in the city and ending the bloodshed was a priority. “This is an essential issue for us.”

“There is no longer any excuse for not stopping the ongoing chaos … after everyone in Tripoli announced that they are no longer backing any party that tries to blow up the situation,” he told An Nahar.

The rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen have been for years witnessing deadly gunbattles. But skirmishes began to flare with increasing intensity after the Syrian uprising began in March 2011.

The Bab al-Tabbaneh district is largely Sunni, like Syria's rebels. Jabal Mohsen mostly has residents of Syrian President Bashar Assad's Alawite sect.

The fighting broke out on Monday evening as celebratory gunfire erupted in Jabal Mohsen over Assad’s appearance on al-Mayadeen television for an interview.

The gunbattles have left scores of casualties.

But Miqati reiterated that President Michel Suleiman has tasked the security forces and the army “to set up their units to bring the situation under control as soon as possible.”

“The ball is now in the court of the security agencies and nothing could prevent (them) from strictly controlling the situation,” the caretaker PM said.