Daryan Rejects Use of Any Arms Domestically 'Other than Those of Lebanese Army'

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan called on Lebanon's Sunni Muslims on Sunday to stand by the Lebanese army, rejecting the use of any arms domestically other than those of the military institution.

“We are the people of centrism and moderation and we must confront the attacks through standing by the army and the security institutions,” said Daryan during the first visit to the Bekaa province since he assumed his post.

The visit comes in the wake of deadly clashes between the army and extremist Islamist groups in the outskirts of the Bekaa border town of Ras Baalbek. Eight troops were killed and more than 20 wounded in the fighting.

“We don't want any arms other than those of the army and the legitimate security institutions, and any weapons used domestically – other than the army's – are weapons of sedition,” the mufti added.

“We as a Sunni community have no private project outside the frame of the Lebanese state. We are rather part of this state and we contributed to its rise and building,” Daryan stressed.

Commenting on the ongoing dialogue between Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal movement, the mufti added: “This is what we want – agreements and dialogue – because we are the people of dialogue and understanding. That's why we have extended both our hands to everybody for the sake of rapprochement and reconciliation.”

Hizbullah and Mustaqbal have so far held three dialogue sessions in Ain al-Tineh with the proclaimed aim of “defusing sectarian tensions,” amid an ongoing presidential vacuum in the country that had started on May 25, 2014.

In this regard, Daryan called on Lebanese politicians to “show a high level of responsibility and courage” in order to “launch a new phase through the election of a new president.”

“It is shameful to keep Lebanon without a president,” the mufti added, urging MPs to elect a “made in Lebanon president.”

Y.R.