Charbel Stresses No Political Interference in Dahieh Task Force

Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said that he has personally overseen the selection of members and officers of a task force that is scheduled to fan out across Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday, stressing that the majority of them are not Shiites.

In remarks to As Safir daily published on Monday, Charbel said the choice of members who would oversee Dahieh's security along with their officers was made without any political pressure or interference.

“It is a joint force whose members belong to all sects. Shiites are less in numbers among its ranks,” he said.

Charbel told the newspaper that “starting 8:00 pm there will no longer be any Hizbullah member on the street” after the party was accused of imposing self-security following two deadly explosions that targeted its stronghold in the suburbs.

Among the measures taken by Hizbullah was setting up checkpoints inside and at the entrances of the suburbs.

The force that will deploy on Monday night includes 100 General Security members, 300 soldiers and 400 Internal Security Forces personnel, Charbel said.

“General Security is for the first time participating in such an operation,” he said, lauding the department chief, Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, for training 300 members of his agency on operations to impose law and order.

In similar remarks to al-Joumhouria newspaper, Charbel said that President Michel Suleiman has welcomed the security plan but stressed that its success hinges on political consensus.

Caretaker Premier Najib Miqati has also given his blessing, he said.

Charbel snapped back at Caretaker Minister Faisal Karami who has criticized him for allegedly not placing such a security plan for his hometown, the northern city of Tripoli.

“We have placed several plans for Tripoli. There are 4,000 armed forces in the city … What we lack is a political plan,” Charbel said.

He called on Tripoli politicians to help the security forces in carrying out their mission in the city.