Suleiman: Arms-Free Beirut Could Become Example for Other Regions

President Michel Suleiman on Monday said “it is normal for the cities and villages to be free of weapons,” noting that an “arms-free Beirut” could become an example for other regions to follow.

“This requires a positive collective willpower that facilitates the work of the security forces,” Suleiman said during talks with a delegation of Beirut MPs that visited him to discuss the issue of removing weapons from the capital.

The delegation comprised MPs Michel Pharaon, Ammar Houri, Jean Oghassabian and Nadim Gemayel.

In a statement issued after the talks, the lawmakers said they briefed the president about their recent meetings with Speaker Nabih Berri, Premier Najib Miqati and other officials, which they described as “positive and encouraging.”

The MPs said their efforts are aimed at “extending the state’s authority and the rule of law over the neighborhoods of Administrative Beirut and later over Greater Beirut and entire Lebanon.”

They warned that proliferation of illegal weapons “threatens the security of the citizens and the country.”

“The president showed great interest in these efforts, saying they should be continued away from overbidding,” the MPs added in their statement.

In December, lawmakers representing Beirut criticized the security situation in Lebanon, saying “no reasonable individual” would tolerate the armed clashes that had erupted in the city over the past few months.

They said after a meeting at parliament: “The government is responsible for the unrest.”

“The unrest that has taken place at various locations, most recently at al-Zaydaniyeh neighborhood, which some sides like to call security incidents, cannot be ignored because the citizens’ lives are being threatened,” they added.

“The MPs have decided to form delegations to meet with the president, prime minister, and speaker to ensure the establishment of an arms-free Beirut,” they said.