Mustaqbal Demands Implementing 'Effective Security Plan' in Tripoli, Penalizing 'Negligent Officials'
Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc Tuesday urged political and security officials to adopt an “effective plan” that draws an end to the ongoing violence in the northern city of Tripoli, demanding the penalization of “those who failed in controlling the situation.”
“We call on political and security authorities to quickly act to end the crime taking place in Tripoli and to implement an effective security plan,” the bloc stated after the MPs' weekly meeting at the Center House.
It noted: "Announcing frequent military deployment in the city has only led to increasing the number of deaths and wounded and worsened material damages.”
"All negligent officials that failed in putting the security of the city under control must be replaced. They must also be held accountable for negligence and for their failure.”
Al-Mustaqbal rejected the notion of “consensual security,” adding that the residence of Tripoli ask the security forces to restore security with an “iron fist,” prohibit the presence of gunmen, and disarm the city.
The city has so far witnessed around 17 rounds of fighting which intensified when the now more than two-year conflict erupted in Syria.
For the first time last month, supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad lobbed mortar shells and fired heavy machine guns at each other.
On Hizbullah's involvement in Syria's war, al-Mustaqbal bloc accused the party of acting as “a squad belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.”
“We ask Hizbullah to immediately withdraw its militias from Syria,” the lawmakers stressed. “Political, security and economic life in Lebanon will not be normal unless Hizbullah stops interfering in Syria.”
The MPs reiterated: “We hold Hizbullah responsible for the political, security and economic consequences of its interference in Syria as it is subjecting Lebanon to dangers and harming the Lebanese people's interests abroad.”
"Hizbullah has transformed from a resistance to a contractor working for Iran.”
The military support of Hizbullah has helped Syrian regime forces gain the upper hand in the battle for control of Qusayr, a key town for both the regime and the insurgents, where an army assault began last month, amid a Lebanese, regional and international outcry.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah had previously justified the group's involvement in Syria by saying they were defending Lebanese-inhabited border villages inside Syria and Shiite holy sites.
But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the Takfiris are the “most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition,” warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria.
He said: “If Syria falls in the hands of the Takfiris and the United States, the resistance will become under a siege and Israel will enter Lebanon. If Syria falls, the Palestinian cause will be lost.”
Regarding the extension of the parliament's term, al-Mustaqbal assured that the bloc “did not plan for this.”
“We stayed committed to holding the elections on time until it has become impossible,” it pointed out.
“Extension was the solution although it does not correspond to the implementation of the democracy.”
The parliament's decision to postpone the upcoming elections and extend its term 17 months was officially announced and published in the official gazette on Saturday.
The extension decision comes after rival blocs in the legislature failed to agree on a new elections law.
Both pro- and anti-Syrian blocs in parliament agreed on the extension, with one exception being the Free Patriotic Movement, which has the second largest bloc in parliament.
The extension was challenged by President Michel Suleiman and the FPM before the Constitutional Council.
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