Hariri Lashes Out at Jumblat, Says Tripoli Has 'Leading Future Role'

Prime Minister Saad Hariri lashed out at Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat without naming him, as he assured that corruption accusations will not stop the “eager” efforts to provide the country, mainly Tripoli, with electricity.

“Electricity will come to Tripoli. There are new political figures who are giving us lessons while their history is known for being corrupt,” said Hariri.

“What I personally care about is for electricity to be supplied. This government has drawn up a plan and will implement it, and then electricity will be available within months in all of Lebanon, especially in Tripoli. I promise you,” said the PM during an Iftar held at the Rashid Karame International Fair in Tripoli.

An indirect war of words surfaced lately between Hariri and Jumblat and the two men have been indirectly trading corruption accusations.

Jumblat had criticized a recently approved tender to lease Turkish power generating ships which he hinted at as illegal, indirectly accusing Hariri of being involved.

The crisis reportedly began first in April when Hariri supported the so-called qualification “sectarian” parliamentary electoral law, which Jumblat criticized as a format that marginalizes his role and the Druze community.

Hariri who spoke during the Iftar, also said: “For many years, the Assad regime tried to distort this history and destroy Tripoli's national and civilized image in the minds of the Lebanese and the world. However, Tripoli was bigger than the plot. You were stronger than the plot.”

“Tripoli is among the Arab and Islamic cities that refused to allow terrorism in its neighborhoods. The deprived people in Tripoli did not allow any favorable soil for terrorism Tripoli remained the capital of moderation. All the Lebanese, Arabs and Muslims have to pay back this debt to Tripoli, starting with a fair and just amnesty law,” said Hariri.

“We all know the stages we experienced over the last 12 years, what was planned for Tripoli and what happened there. This period passed, but now it is our duty to repair what happened in the past.”

Touching on the development projects he inaugurated last week, he added: “We decided to work and look forward. This is why I came last week, to see the Ring Road, the Free Economic Zone, the new vegetables market, the buildings being rehabilitated in Bakkar, Baal Mohsen and Al Mankubin, as well as Al Namuzajiya School and the Dar al-Muallemeen that are being constructed in Abu Samra, the Faculty of Engineering in Ras Masqa financed by the Islamic Bank and the faculty of science funded partially by the Saudi Fund for development.

“The role of Tripoli in the region will be active when the reconstruction of Syria and Iraq will start and the world will start looking for the nearest port that has skills and competencies. This will be the role of Tripoli,” the PM concluded.