Charbel Asks for Explosives Detection Equipment amid Call for Municipal Police Help

Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel revealed that he asked top officials during a meeting of the Higher Defense Council for explosives detection equipment.

In remarks to An Nahar daily published Tuesday, Charbel said the conferees, who met under President Michel Suleiman at Baabda palace, tasked the finance ministry to study the cost of such a request and take the appropriate measures.

He also said that efforts are being exerted to hold a meeting for heads of municipalities in Lebanon to study the possibility of the contribution of municipal police in carrying out security patrols to help the Internal Security Forces amid a deteriorating security situation.

Charbel described the current situation as “difficult but there are possibilities to keep it under control.”

Lebanon has been witnessing a series of security incidents linked to the civil war in Syria.

Sectarian street clashes have erupted on numerous occasions in recent months. But the small-scale gunbattles have taken a turn toward car bombings in several cities.

An Nahar quoted ministerial sources as saying that the government is facing a financial problem in paying the compensations for those affected from last Friday's twin car bombings in the northern city of Tripoli and a previous attack in Beirut's southern suburbs.

The sources estimated the cost of the compensations at LL76 billion.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati has announced that 222 housing units have been damaged in the Tripoli bombings alone which compel the government to provide them with the appropriate housing.