Charbel Says Not Planning on Becoming Next President
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said on Monday that he isn’t planning on becoming the next Lebanese president but if he was elected “by coincidence” he wouldn’t mind.
“Just like I was tasked by coincidence to head the Interior Ministry I wouldn’t say no to the presidency as it is the right of any Maronite,” Charbel said in an interview with al-Liwaa newspaper.
He stressed that he doesn’t have any “personal goals” as he is a centrist and aims at safeguarding the country.
“My conscience is clear. I never had an ambition to become the interior minister, and if I became the president I will work harder than I am right now,” Charbel told the daily.
Regarding the security situation in the country, the minister warned that incitement would have major repercussions on Lebanon, noting that the current disputes will not lead to sedition between the political foes.
“The current disputes will not lead to a Sunni-Shiites sedition, both sides realize that it would destroy the country,” Charbel said.
He noted that all the parties cooperated during the one-month security plan, which he launched in June, noting that the security situation in the country isn’t only the responsibility of the security agencies.
Charbel considered that the security month was “successful.”
The ISF general command said during the weekend that 1,201 people have been arrested since the launch of the security campaign, but the month was breached by several bank robberies and assaults across the country.
He told the daily that his ministry doesn’t have the sufficient capabilities to control the security situation.
“The agents are deployed along the (Lebanese-Syrian) border, Sidon, Tripoli and several are tasked to carry out minor responsibilities and to protect prominent figures,” the minister said.
Charbel said that he is proposing to increase the number of the Internal Security Forces, however, he said that he “can’t recruit new members and pay them from my own pocket.”
The minister noted that the cabinet vowed to increase the number of the ISF agents by 2000 in 2013.
Asked if the ISF is entering Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hizbullah stronghold, Charbel said that the officials representing the area hoped that he would be able to control the security situation in the region.
Concerning the sit-in held by Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir in the southern coastal city of Sidon, Charbel said that officials are exerting efforts to resolve the matter.
He revealed that he last contacted al-Asir two weeks ago.
The Salafist cleric has vowed that his sit-in would be open-ended until his demands to find a solution to Hizbullah’s arsenal are met, leading to the damage of dozens of businesses financially.
Charbel said that the situation along the Lebanese-Syrian border is unacceptable, stressing the importance of security coordination between the two armed forces to prevent any violations.
Last week, Syria and Lebanon traded accusations about cross-border violations, each saying the other had breached their shared frontier.
Charbel praised the stances adopted by President Michel Suleiman.
“If it wasn’t for his wisdom and rationality the security situation would have been worse.”
The Lebanese-Syrian border area is used by smugglers and by Syrians fleeing the violence in their country to Lebanon.
Lebanon and Syria share a 330-kilometer border but have yet to agree on official demarcation.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/48286 |