Mustaqbal Urges 'Transparent Probe' in Arsal Incident, Says Madi's Move Another Attempt on Harb's Life
The Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday called for a “transparent probe” into the recent incident in the Bekaa town of Arsal that left two army soldiers and a suspect dead.
In a statement issued after its weekly meeting, the bloc urged President Michel Suleiman, the government and the judicial authorities to launch a “fair and transparent investigation in order to unveil the circumstances, starting with the death of the victim Khaled Hmayyed.”
“We stress our respect for the army, which is the official security institution that is protecting the country and the people and it is not acceptable to attack the army or any other security institution,” the bloc added.
It noted that the army “must have access to all areas and the town of Arsal is not above the law.”
“What happened in Arsal was accompanied by an unprecedented smear campaign” against the town, the bloc went on to say, adding that “the army must end its siege of the town."
Hizbullah MP Nawwar al-Sahili lashed out on Tuesday at al-Mustaqbal movement following accusations that the party was involved in the deadly ambush on the army in the border town of Arsal, saying it is trying to convert the incident into a sectarian strife.
“Al-Mustaqbal accusations are fabrications. They didn't hesitate to accuse Hizbullah of being behind the incident minutes after it happened,” al-Sahili told reporters gathered at the parliament.
The army has sealed off all the entrances to Arsal and brought in reinforcements as part of measures aimed at arresting more members of an armed group that targeted the patrol last week and killed Major Pierre Bashaalani and Adjutant Ibrahim Zahraman.
The patrol was in the area to pursue Khaled Hmayyed, a suspect wanted on terrorism charges.
Turning to the controversial issue of the electoral law, the Mustaqbal bloc noted that "amending Article 22 of the Constitution to create a senate represents the appropriate exit that can ensure national balance and coexistence."
"The electoral law proposed by Mustaqbal bloc creates common ground if there is an intention to reach an electoral law, especially that endorsing proportional representation amid the hegemony of arms will lead to disbalance," the bloc added.
It described its proposal as "a plan that can be practically implemented in order to hold elections on time," warning that "delaying elections poses a threat to the country."
"Some parties' insistence on their negative stances and on rejecting our electoral proposal unveils intentions aiming to maintain Hizbullah's hegemony over the government," the bloc charged.
"We hold onto the policy of dialogue and extending our hand in order to reach common ground with the rest of parties and pull the country out of its crisis," it added.
Commenting on State Prosecutor Hatem Madi's request to lift the parliamentary immunity of MP Butros Harb, the bloc said it was "shocked by the absurd statement issued by the state prosecutor against Harb and this scandal is tantamount to another assassination attempt against him."
Harb condemned on Tuesday Madi's request, accusing him of collaborating with Hizbullah to cover up the accused in the assassination attempt against him.
Madi demanded on Monday to strip Harb of his parliamentary immunity over remarks he made on the judiciary and President Michel Suleiman after Mahmoud Hayek, a Hizbullah member, was charged with the attempt on his life.
The March 14 opposition lawmaker escaped the assassination bid after residents of a building in which his office is located in the Beirut district of Badaro discovered individuals trying to booby-trap the elevator.
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