Aoun: Asir's Remarks Caused Spat, We Can't Contain Such an Incident Every Time
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Thursday held security forces responsible for any future security incident, in the wake of the spat that erupted earlier in the day over a controversial visit by Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir and his supporters to a ski resort in the Kesrouan town of Kfardebian.
“We overcame the problem but it would be difficult to overcome such an incident if it was repeated,” Aoun said in a phone interview with his movement's mouthpiece OTV.
“Asir insults all Lebanese figures in his speeches and he attacked me as well as (Hizbullah chief) Sayyed (Hassan) Nasrallah and Speaker (Nabih) Berri several times and these reasons prompted some young men to try blocking the road,” Aoun added.
Around 50 protesters from Kfardebian briefly blocked the main road of the mountain town on Thursday to protest Asir's visit. Several attempts by the army and security forces to allow the buses to cross the barricade left at least two people slightly injured.
The road was eventually reopened after the more than two-hour protest.
“Citizens must not block roads in the face of visitors and security forces must take measures to prevent them. We contained the situation to avoid danger and we rose above the shooting on my convoy and the (Tripoli) attack on (Sports and Youth) Minister (Faisal) Karami because we're trying to contain what's happening,” said Aoun, warning that the recent security incidents are aimed at dragging the country into strife.
“We hold security forces responsible for what's happening on the ground and we cannot contain such an incident every time. We thank Asir for his compassion, but we want his rhetoric and love to be like this all the time, not occasionally,” added Aoun.
“We don't want 'another Ain al-Rummaneh bus' and another civil war in Lebanon and what's important is to prevent its spark. All people are welcome but they must have a clean history,” he went on to say.
Aoun also noted that he had called on supporters not to protest Asir's visit to the ski resort.
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