Safa Meets Rifi to Congratulate him despite Differences
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Hizbullah Liaison and Coordination Officer Wafiq Safa held talks with Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi to congratulate him on his appointment in Prime Minister Tammam Salam's cabinet, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday.
According to the daily, the meeting was held on Monday morning at Rifi's residence in Ashrafieh in presence of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Col. Imad Othman and ISF Operations room chief Col. Hussam al-Tannoukhi.
Safa also contacted newly appointed Interior Minister Nuhad al-Mashnouq to congratulate him.
Sources told the newspaper that “the positive meeting was to continue the successful cabinet formation process.”
On Saturday, Rifi, who is the former Internal Security Forces chief, accused Hizbullah of obstructing efforts to form a cabinet and of obstructing the functioning of the state.
His statement was issued after Salam formed his cabinet.
“The truth is that Hizbullah is the real obstacle for the entire country,” he remarked.
He described the arms of Hizbullah as illegal, saying that the resistance no longer has any legitimate excuse to remain.
Rifi staunchly opposed Hizbullah after his retirement, the party along with the March 8 alliance strongly rejected his appointment as Interior Minister, prompting Salam to name him as Justice Minister.
Later, Rifi considered that the meeting with Safa “paved communications path that were previously shut.”
“We agreed to liberate al-Labwe – Arsal in the bekaa from any illegitimate presence and make it under the army's control,” Rifi told reporters after the first cabinet session at the Baabda Palace.
Arsal lies 12 kilometers from the border with Syria and has been used as a conduit for weapons and rebels to enter Syria, while also serving as a refuge for people fleeing the conflict that erupted in 2011.
The Lebanese army has several times seized cars loaded with arms and ammunition in the town and its outskirts.
18 February 2014, 07:56
207
A visit before they put the final touches on his assassination.
18 February 2014, 07:59
79
Nasrallah is an Iranian thug. WOW - Mindless insults are easy!
18 February 2014, 08:10
714
Lives in Ashrafieh?...they fought us for 15 years...they hate us, they insult us...and still want to live with us.. can't explain 8595
18 February 2014, 09:02
195
“The truth is that Hizbullah is the real obstacle for the entire country”… Hizbullah turn in your armament become civilians and those that want to defend Lebanon join the LAF. If not you will remain an armed Iranian militia and a threat to Lebanon.
18 February 2014, 12:17
413
ya Actionman..."us" are the people who have created Lebanon, who have defended Lebanon while you were in bed with the Syrians until 2005..we are the ones who brought the SALSA and Syrian Act while your masters were jailing us. You are fooling nobody and nobody beleives in the concept of being a "resistant of the last minute"... weare the ONLY reason why there is a democracy in this country and the proof is that we are split among many different parties while your choice goes between the thief or the extremist - nyellkon
We have a memory and we remember that you prefered to elect Lahoud and Berry the so called pro-syrians rather than electing Aoun after the liberation at post 2005 elections...
your actions prove everything else than living together
If we were in a normal country, we would have sued you for high treason with Syrians and engaged a phase of "Nuremberg" tribunals -
Think twice next time you want to marginilize the majority of us
18 February 2014, 20:32
00
@ Everyone, this a just a meeting in order to warn Rifi about not trying to issue arrest warrants against the criminals charged for the Hariri murder. Whether you like Rifi or not, objectively, he is the one that created the fouhoud squad that are the police commandos. They are the only ones doing their job right in matter of handling car thefts , robberies etc... Your normal police officers are wandering around with dodge chargers ,speeding with it and having fun. Lebanese need to be all put togther , christians and muslims, form a strong inside security net, enforce the fouhoud, reduce army soldiers to 30 or 40,000 instead of 80,000 with chauffeurs and butlers and cooks, but instead train those to be only commandos ( maghaweer), Go to the UN , invite Iran, Israel, Syria, sign an armistice treaty with all, get the borders maps and start drilling this OIL and GAS once and for all. United we stand , divided we fall. Diplomacy first, muscles second.
