March 14 Slams Qabalan’s ‘Verbal Provocation’ on Dispute over Lassa
March 14 general secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid snapped back at the deputy leader of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council, Abdul Amir Qabalan, saying Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi should put an end to the “verbal provocation” over the dispute on the sectarian identity of the town of Lassa.
Qabalan said during Friday prayers that documents prove that the land in and around Lassa in the district of Jbeil belongs to its residents. Lassa’s population is mainly Shiite.
Soaid said, however, that Qabalan made a “media violation” by bringing up the subject despite a statement by Bkirki on Thursday urging the Lebanese not to tackle the issue through the media.
The March 14 official said that al-Rahi should “end the verbal provocation to preserve coexistence in Jbeil.”
Meanwhile, the mayor of Amhaz, which lies near Lassa, told An Nahar daily published Saturday that “the village is 100 percent Maronite.”
He expressed regret that Qabalan brought up the subject without having documents or information on the issue.
On Saturday, Qabalan telephoned al-Rahi to extend his condolences over the death of the patriarchate’s secretary Monsignor Youssef Toq.
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