Al-Rahi backs families call for int'l panel of inquiry in port case

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Thursday presided over a mass for the victims and wounded of the Beirut port blast, on the eve of the third anniversary of the tragedy.

“The truth that they are trying to conceal by impeding the investigations of the investigative judge for the past three years is related to the identity of those responsible for the bombing and for storing ammonium nitrate at the Beirut port,” al-Rahi said.

He also called for the truth regarding “the source (of the ammonium nitrate), the route (of the ship that brought it), the confiscation (of the ship and its cargo), the inaction upon learning about it and the failure to remove it and return it to the port of origin.”

Lamenting the presence of “political figures who are claiming innocence while evading appearance before the investigative judge,” al-Rahi added: “If you are innocent, why are you running away and obstructing the investigation?”

“We cannot forget what happened when the explosion itself took place: some people heard and saw things and some statements were made before being removed from circulation,” al-Rahi said.

Moreover, the patriarch said he supports the demand of the families of the victims for the formation of an international panel of inquiry that would help the investigative judge in completing his mission, while calling on world powers to “hand to Lebanon the information, investigations and satellite images they have” and to “put an end to the political interferences in the file of the investigations.”