U.N. Says Lebanon Should Prevent ‘Actors’ from ‘Taking Law into their Own Hands’

U.N. Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon Robert Watkins warned on Thursday that the latest armed clashes and kidnappings undermine the efforts to promote stability, urging the authorities to reject non-state actors from “taking the law into their own hands.”

The U.N. “has been following closely and with concern recent security incidents in the country, particularly the kidnappings targeting Syrian nationals and others in Lebanon as well as armed clashes that have been taking place in the past few days in Tripoli,” Watkins said following talks with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel.

“I expressed deep regret for the unfortunate loss of life that was reported and the fact that the violence has continued in Tripoli,” he said about the deadly gunbattles that erupted on Monday between the residents of mainly Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh and majority Alawite Jabal Mohsen, a sign of the spillover of the Syrian war into Lebanon.

“All these incidents undermine the efforts that many in Lebanon have been exerting to promote peace, stability and long-term development,” Watkins added.

While praising the role played by the Lebanese Armed Forces in preventing the security situation from deteriorating, he stressed that the authorities should preserve stability and all parties “should respect and not overstep the country’s state institutions.”

“Lebanon cannot accept that there are actors who take the law into their own hands with impunity,” the diplomat said as he announced support for the calls made by President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati to bring those guilty of crimes to justice.

Watkins also said the Lebanese government has a “moral responsibility” to protect Syrian nationals many of whom are in Lebanon as refugees seeking shelter from the violence in their own country.

The al-Meqdad clan has kidnapped several Syrians and a Turkish national in retaliation to the abduction last week of Hassan al-Meqdad by armed rebels in Damascus.

Another Turkish national was also seized but no group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon “has strongly condemned kidnappings and retaliatory hostage-taking in Syria and Lebanon and called for an immediate release of all those detained without due process and in violation of their human rights,” Watkins said.