Jumblat Urges State's Firmness to End Tripoli Crisis

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Monday urged the army and the security forces to be firm in drawing an end to the “abnormal situation” in the northern city of Tripoli, praising also civil society's efforts to restore stability in the North.

"The state and the security and military bodies' firmness is required now more than ever to draw an end to the abnormal situation in Tripoli, because of which many innocent people have been killed,” Jumblat said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa website.

The Druze leader also praised civil society for “repeatedly trying to rescue and restore stability” in the northern city.

"We salute the civil society in Tripoli that is launching one initiative after another to rescue the city and restore stability in the North,” he said.

Jumblat added: “Civil society resorted to civilized and innovative methods to reiterate its rejection of bloodshed, killing, sniper fire and violence.”

The PSP leader's statement comes as army and security forces are preparing to implement a security plan in the restive city, after unknown gunmen assassinated an army warrant officer and an Internal Security Forces member in two separate incidents in Tripoli last week.

Commenting on the recent controversy surrounding the fate of the famous Lycée Abdul Qader school, Jumblat asked: “Why doesn't the Beirut municipality take ownership of the school and transform it into a museum or a library?”

He noted that this could be an alternative to “destroying another old building because of commercial and real estate greed that is harming Beirut's heritage and history.”

S.D.B.

M.T.