Charbel Optimistic on Ending Asir’s Sit-in Peacefully
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said Saturday he was personally taking charge of negotiations with Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir to persuade him into ending the sit-in that he launched in the southern city of Sidon earlier in the week.
In remarks to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) and As Safir daily, Charbel said he was personally negotiating with the Imam of Sidon's Bilal bin Rabah mosque to end the sit-it after al-Asir defied calls by the leaders of the city to reopen the highway and said he will keep his supporters on the road pending a solution to Hizbullah’s arms.
The interior minister also told An Nahar newspaper that he understands al-Asir’s demands but “he knows that the issue of arms is being discussed at the (national) dialogue table.”
“I am optimistic that the issue will be resolved with Sheikh al-Asir soon,” Charbel said.
A security source told As Safir that a security solution to the sit-in that has obstructed transportation in Sidon is the last resort, but did not set a timeline for any forceful opening of the road.
Political negotiations to end the crisis are ongoing and could lead to the expected result, the source said.
No one is against the right to hold a protest as a peaceful and a civilized way of expression but at the same time no one has the right to obstruct the people’s lives, he added.
A security source also told An Nahar that the Lebanese army doesn’t interfere in such cases and it is up to the Internal Security Forces to end the sit-in.
But if there was a clash, then the army could support security forces in resolving the dispute, the source said.
The ISF took extra measures in the area of the sit-in and the roads that lead to it on Friday.
The army also reinforced its presence in Sidon’s entrance, conducting patrols at the Awali bridge area and the seafront Corniche after reports that al-Asir could move his sit-in to Riyad al-Solh street near the stadium, which has remained the only main road open for traffic.
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