Mustaqbal Slams Miqati’s ‘Hints’ that Opposition Involved in Tripoli Unrest
Mustaqbal bloc MPs criticized Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s insinuations that the opposition is behind the deadly clashes that erupted in Tripoli on Friday, saying that the loss of one of his major security officials in the unrest made him issue his accusations.
MP Samir al-Jisr told An Nahar daily that Miqati’s statement “on a peaceful and constructive opposition” include “hints” that the opposition is “indirectly involved” in Tripoli’s clashes.
“We never turned to arms and were the first to chant slogans to topple the illegitimate weapons,” al-Jisr said.
The newspaper quoted the MP as saying that the premier’s statements were a “slip of tongue.”
Meanwhile, MP Ahmed Fatfat told Future News that Miqati’s statements were an unsuccessful start for his tenure as prime minister, stressing: “The Mustaqbal movement and the opposition were not behind the clashes in Tripoli, they started as a protest in support of the Syrian people linked to the situation in Syria.”
“If Miqati does not review his statements, they would be interpreted as incitement against the opposition and the Lebanese people and a call to ignite strife,” he added.
The MP said: “The Premier knows that Tripoli doesn’t accept being represented by this cabinet, but these are not the actions of the city’s residents.”
Meanwhile, al-Mustaqbal official Mustapha Alloush stated: “The residents and the Syrian people have no interest to shift the unrest in Syria to Tripoli.”
He told Asharq radio that he was “surprised by Miqati’s veiled accusation against the opposition.”
Meanwhile, diplomatic Arab sources expected the “cabinet to fall under a lot of pressure… and no party has any interest in igniting the situation,” al-Jumhuriya reported on Saturday.
The sources said that “what happened in Tripoli isn’t a positive sign, but all the parties plan on taking control of the situation.”
On Friday, Miqati described as “suspicious” the timing of the deadly clashes that erupted between gunmen from Tripoli’s rival neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh, adding: “We understand that the opposition is peaceful and constructive.”
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