Miqati Declares National Mourning Day for Dahieh Victims, Salam Urges Parties to Rise Above Disputes
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati has declared that Friday will be a day of national mourning for the victims of the blast that hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday, noting that the Higher Defense Council will convene to discuss the incident.
“Once again the hand of treachery and the flames of hatred have targeted civilians in a dear Lebanese region that has been known for its enormous steadfastness in the face of the Israeli enemy's malevolence and plots,” Miqati said in a statement.
“This blast indicates that the hand of evil is still tampering with this country and its security, safety and all assets,” Miqati warned.
He said that "the real solution does not lie in condemnations, but rather in sitting together around the dialogue table without preconditions in order to salvage the country."
The premier added that following consultations with President Michel Suleiman, it was decided to hold a meeting for the Higher Defense Council at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the presidential palace in Baabda.
According to the statement, Miqati also held contacts with caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and the chiefs of security agencies to follow up on the repercussions of the bombing and the outcome of the ongoing investigations.
For his part, Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam condemned the bomb attack as a “barbaric act,” urging the Lebanese citizens and political forces to “show solidarity and national unity to fend off those who want to tamper with the country's security.”
Salam called on all political forces to “rise above the disputes,” saying it is “the only real response to such terrorist acts.”
In an interview on LBCI television, the PM-designate said “serious efforts must be exerted to form the cabinet and we don't want a confrontational cabinet but rather a national interest cabinet.”
At least 14 people were killed and 212 others wounded in a car bombing that rocked Hizbullah's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday, state-run National News Agency reported.
The blast went off on the public road between Bir al-Abed and Ruwais, according to several television channels.
15 August 2013, 21:50
39
Mikati ? What about Tammam Salam. He's the one that will salvage the country (hopefully).
16 August 2013, 01:04
31
i think some people here are totally politically illiterate.
of course Mikati, as the caretaker PM, he is still the one in charge.
Salam is only DESIGNATE... he has no cabinet. he is still a nobody.
16 August 2013, 03:06
03
it's BS.... but it's a nice way to get 4 sttraight days off.
we lost 20 soldiers last month in Abra as u said.... nothing for them?
15 August 2013, 22:46
00
talk talk talk and more empty talks and whining. there is one way and only one to safe such a country. drowning in debt ? to hell with it, spend a billion dollars a year to arm and equip LAF, without a strong LAF and a stubborn leadership to clean the filth, nothing will come out of that country but whining, pointing fingers, condemning and ignoring. sick of it. u can't rule a 5 millions population country, how the hell Chinese are ruling 1.4 billion ?!?!?!?
15 August 2013, 23:00
71
http://www.infowars.com/video-obama-backed-militants-execute-teenage-boys/
16 August 2013, 04:00
12
RIP for all victims. No rejoicing from any Lebanese for such incidents as such incidents have happened in other parts of the country throughout the last few years. Violence is never an acceptable solution to political bickering. Yes we want HA to give up its arms to the LAF, but we do not wish fellow citizens any harm. Today Dahe tomorrow could be anywhere else. Dialogue, unity and strengthening the LAF is the only answwer.
16 August 2013, 04:31
23
Hizbullah has learned a lesson, it is nowhere in security even in beirut.
Mr Nasrallah will be forced to dig a little deeper because the Shia Sunni animosity is much more corrosive than his resentment towards the enemy on the southern border.
16 August 2013, 08:46
04
ya habibi the resistance is something that is imposed on lebanese. Lebanon is a democratic country and its leaders are elected democratically. The resistance which is now recognized as a terrorist organization is not elected democratically. It is financed and lead directly from the tyrannical regime of Iran and with the help of the other tyrannical Syrian regime.
As long as hizbullah is outside the rule of the state, of justice and democracy it has no legitimacy in a democratic country. In fact the presence of HA is bringing backwards the democratic functioning of Lebanon. The police cannot freely intervene in the area where HA is present. Justice cannot judge incriminated HA members (hariri, harb, killing of the member of the lebanese option party, samer hanna). HA is tapping into the customs revenues of Lebanon taking aways billions of revenues needed for the government (to pay for example the teachers' salaries).
16 August 2013, 11:57
01
Remind me again, how many days of mourning did we have for the victims of May '08, murdered by the weapons of the Iranian Occupation Force that has imported the Syrian Civil War into Lebanon and now nagging about it? So long as Hizb exist, forget about the possibility of peace in Lebanon.
