Aoun Says Extending Qahwaji's Term 'Not Price for Army Sacrifices': Sidon Clashes Result of Mustaqbal Neglect
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun stressed on Tuesday that extending the term of the Army Commander "must not be the price for the troops' sacrifice" in the clashes of the southern city of Sidon.
"The army's sacrifice must not be a price for extending Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji's term especially that we are against extension in general,” Aoun said after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform bloc, in response to former premier Saad Hariri's suggestion.
He added: “We do not want to manipulate the military institution's law.”
“Hariri must ease the cabinet's formation first then we will see who will lead the army.”
Aoun continued: “We are the ones who should give our opinion regarding the army's chief as per the appointments' traditions and because we are the representatives of Christians in the cabinet.”
At least 16 soldiers were killed and 50 were wounded in the clashes with the armed supporters of Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir in Sidon in the past two days.
More than 20 of al-Asir's supporters were killed, according to a security official.
Dozens of them were also arrested, but there was no sign of the cleric.
The FPM leader held politicians, al-Mustaqbal Movement and “unqualified members” in the army's intelligence responsible for Sidon's clashes.
“Those afraid of a confrontation to avoid sedition will eventually get into a clash because the power of the attacker will increase.”
“There is an obvious laziness in dealing with the security of the state and if the Asir phenomenon was dealt with earlier, it would have ended peacefully,” Aoun stated, noting that Sidon's incident is linked to other “countries and to locals who financed it.”
“Politicians and al-Mustaqbal Movement's neglect have lead to this situation, just like what happened in (the northern city of) Akkar.”
He called for probing “those responsible for the clashes.”
“We want a high-level judicial investigation with the arrested and the suspects,” he said. “We fully condemn the attackers and they must be tried and jailed according to judicial laws.”
Aoun explained that there was is a “programmed ambush in the Security Zone” in (the Sidon neighborhood of) Abra that is filled with shells and traps.
He stressed: “The killing of army troops was intentional.”
“If I were an investigative judge, I would have summoned the Interior Minister and asked him whose powers are larger than the state's.”
Aoun hailed the army's achievement in Sidon's clashes: “After all what happened, there is a positive thing that came out of the incidence which is the high spirit of the army. The battle was important in the spirit that the army gained.”
“The army's fight will prevent many from dealing with the military institution,” he pointed out.
Aoun pointed out that there are calls for “Sunnis to defect from the army”.
“But we thank the wise men who understood the depth of this case and instead, encouraged the army's stance and defended the military institution.”
The Christian leader denied accusing President Michel Suleiman of being a traitor following his note to the Arab League and the United Nations Security Council on Syria's attacks on Lebanese territories.
“We could say he was mistaken, but not a traitor,” Aoun explained.
Source: Naharnet
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