Heated Argument between Saniora, Raad over Arms and Abductions

A national dialogue session held at Beiteddine palace on Thursday was marred by a dispute between al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader Fouad Saniora and Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad on the party’s arsenal.

During the session, Saniora said illegitimate weapons were responsible for the series of abductions of Syrians and allegedly a Turkish national by al-Meqdad clan to demand the release of Hassan al-Meqdad, who was kidnapped by Free Syrian Army members in Syria earlier this week.

He also hinted that the incidents were “not a coincidence but a new chapter of the practice of terrorism against citizens to turn the attention” from the case of ex-Minister Michel Samaha, who was charged with planning terrorist attacks in Lebanon.

Saniora, who is a member of the March 14 opposition coalition, accused Samaha and Syrian security chief Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk and “those backing them” of seeking to ignite civil strife in Lebanon.

The former minister has reportedly admitted to investigators that Mamlouk and another Syrian officer identified by his first name as Adnan had handed him explosives that he transported in his vehicle from Syria to Lebanon to carry out bomb attacks in northern Lebanon.

Saniora drew similarity between the latest incidents and the “black shirts play and what preceded it in terms of threats.”

He was referring to the period after the collapse of ex-Premier Saad Hariri’s government in early 2011 when groups of Hizbullah members wearing black shirts deployed in the streets of Beirut.

The Mustaqbal bloc leader also lashed out at the government “for proving its catastrophic failure” in resolving the country’s problems. He called for resolving the issue of arms in accordance with the constitution and the Taef accord.

He also urged the formation of a salvation government that would preserve the country’s reputation .

But Raad, who is a member of the March 8 majority coalition, snapped back, saying “what happened yesterday (Wednesday) does not amount to one-tenth of what happened in other areas, like Akkar for example.”

The armed presence of al-Meqdad clan in Beirut’s southern suburbs “has nothing to do with the weapons of the resistance.”

Their arms “are similar to the weapons that appeared in other areas,” he said, adding “we didn’t hear anyone condemning them.”

“It’s not the resistance arsenal that is threatening the state but the incitement rhetoric,” Raad told Saniora and other national dialogue participants.

He also held the former prime minister responsible for the growing divisions in the country.

The criticism of the resistance is part of an “incitement” campaign launched in 2006 when Saniora was premier, Raad said.