Miqati, Salam, Ex-PMs Stress Need for New Govt. to Take Necessary Measures to Tackle Unrest

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Premier-designate Tammam Salam, and former PM Fouad Saniora and Omar Karami condemned on Friday the clashes in the northern city of Tripoli, calling on security agencies to tackle the situation.

They said in a statement after meeting at the Grand Serail: “The dangerous political and security situation requires speeding up the formation of a new government that can take the necessary measures to tackle the unrest.”

They called on the security and military agencies to “strike down with an iron fist all who violate the law and carry arms.”

The security agencies must implement an immediate security plan to remove all armed presence in Tripoli and hold all those responsible for the unrest accountable for their actions, they demanded.

The gatherers rejected the spread of arms outside of the state's authority throughout Lebanon, calling on the security agencies to take the necessary measures to put an end to this phenomenon and demanding that Tripoli become an arms-free city.

Moreover, they called for “completely respecting the policy of disassociation, which was aimed at averting dangers lurking around Lebanon, particularly the crisis in Syria.

They renewed their commitment to the Baabda Declaration and Arab League and international resolutions on Lebanon, specifically in their call for Lebanon to refrain from meddling in the affairs of other countries.

The army has been tasked with containing clashes that broke out on Sunday in the northern city of Tripoli.

The clashes erupted between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh, which backs the Syrian revolution, and Jabal Mohsen, which supports the Syrian regime.

At least 22 people have been killed in the recent round of clashes.