Paris Urges No 'Political Interference' in Beirut Port Blast Probe
A French foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday said Paris "regrets the suspension" of the probe into the Beirut port blast, urging the Lebanese judiciary to work "in total transparency, and without any political interference" so that investigations could proceed.
"It is up to the Lebanese authorities to allow the probe to continue with all the necessary financial and human resources so it can shed light on what happened on Aug. 4 and meet the legitimate expectations of the Lebanese people," French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre told reporters in Paris.
Tarek Bitar, the judge leading the probe into Lebanon's deadliest peacetime disaster, had to suspend his work on Monday after what the families of the victims and human rights groups said was another blatant case of political obstruction.
The suspension was prompted ex-interior minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq filing a legal challenge against Bitar's work.
Source: Agence France Presse, Associated Press, Naharnet
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