Phalange Party Urges 'Liberation of Airport from Grip of Illegal Arms'

The Phalange Party on Monday urged authorities to “liberate the airport from the grip of illegal arms” and to “strike the environment of security chaos,” in the wake of the abduction of two Turkish pilots near Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport.

“The Phalange Party deplores the kidnap of the Turkish citizens on the road of Beirut's international airport … and sees in the incident a severe blow to the state's image,” said a statement issued after the weekly meeting of the party's political bureau.

The party warned that the abduction “poses a threat to the special Lebanese-Turkish relations, which must be protected and salvaged.”

It urged the political authorities to “liberate the airport from the grip of illegal arms, strike the environment of security chaos, and renounce the policy of consensual security … in order to rescue the reputation and interests of Lebanon and restore the international community's confidence in the country.”

The party also called on Lebanese authorities to “address the case of the Lebanese citizens who were abducted in (Syria's) Aazaz and to exert efforts with all the relevant parties to secure their safe return to their families and to eliminate any unacceptable alibi that can be used to conduct illegal acts.”

A previously unknown group calling itself Zuwwar Imam al-Rida has claimed the kidnapping of the two Turkish pilots on Friday.

Eleven pilgrims were kidnapped in Syria's Aleppo region in May 2012 as they were making their way back to Lebanon by land from pilgrimage in Iran. Two of them have since been released, while the rest remain in Aazaz.

Their relatives have held Turkey responsible for their ongoing abduction. They have repeatedly vowed to take action against Turkish interests in Lebanon in order to pressure Ankara to release the captives, although they have denied any involvement in the abduction of the pilots.

Turning to the recent security incidents in Tripoli and northern Bekaa, the Phalange Party warned that "they represent alarming indications that can drag the country into sectarian conflicts if left unaddressed.”

The party called for putting an end to “the security chaos in Tripoli and some neighborhoods in Beirut and the Bekaa,” urging security forces to “prevent the shooting, riots and road-blocking protests that erupt whenever a court's verdict is not accepted by certain groups, as was the case with the rulings of the Judicial Council against those involved in the 2008 bombings in al-Tal and al-Behsas.”

Turning to the southern front, the Phalange Party condemned “the Israeli violations of Lebanon's border,” describing the latest incursion into al-Labbouneh area as a “blatant violation of (U.N. Security Council) Resolution 1701,” which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah.

The party urged the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to “continue to preserve stability in the region in cooperation with the Lebanese army.”

Politically, the party called for “building upon the positive political stances and proposing feasible suggestions that can end the deadlock in the cabinet formation process,” reiterating its call for “drafting a fair electoral law that can shorten parliament's extended term.”