Saniora: Those Accusing Mustaqbal of Armament Trying to Justify Their Own

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Head of the Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc, ex-PM Fouad Saniora, on Sunday strongly condemned the latest deadly clashes in the northern city of Tripoli, stressing that the Mustaqbal Movement rejects “any act that could lead to unrest or a civil strife among the Lebanese, from whichever side it comes.”

Hitting back at those accusing Mustaqbal of arming itself, Saniora said “those voicing these remarks are trying to justify their armament and possession of arms,” noting that the movement is “against any form of armament” and that it wants the state to be in full control of security in the country.

“The possession of arms must be exclusively limited to the Lebanese state, and when we demand that we are also practicing it ourselves and we call on others to practice it,” Saniora told a Mustaqbal delegation at his Sidon office.

A ceasefire was announced on Saturday between the rival Tripoli neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen under the army’s sponsorship after fierce clashes that erupted Friday killed and wounded a number of civilians and troops.

The Sunni-majority coastal city has in the past few years been the scene of intense clashes between Sunni supporters of the anti-Syrian opposition and Alawite Muslims loyal to a Hizbullah-led alliance backed by Iran and Syria.

Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is fighting an unprecedented revolt against his regime, hails from the Alawite community, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Also on Saturday, Rifaat Eid, deputy head of the Arab Democratic Party which is politically and militarily in control of Jabal Mohsen, accused Mustaqbal of operating an arms depot in the Tripoli neighborhood of Abi Samra which saw a deadly accidental blast on Friday.

In remarks to An Nahar daily on the seventh anniversary of ex-PM Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination and a year after former PM Saad Hariri’s government was toppled, Saniora said: “The March 8 experience in power led to a failure after another.”

“The experience with the government of Hizbullah says that it succeeded in spreading misery, poverty, confusion, economic regression, political failure and nothing more,” he said, adding “the Lebanese want results.”

He also accused the Hizbullah-led March 8 coalition of being involved in several scandals such as alleged violations carried out by the energy and telecommunications ministries and the rejection of Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas to sign the transportation allowance decree linked to a recent official wage hike.

Saniora said the red diesel scandal filled the pockets of those involved in it while people suffered at their homes over the lack of the household heating supply during the winter season.

The scandal erupted last month after people throughout Lebanon began complaining of a red diesel shortage during a one-month government subsidy.

Complaints were also made that huge amounts of red diesel were sold to oil distribution companies by the Deir Ammar refinery in northern Lebanon on January 18 -- the last day of the government subsidy of LL3,000 per jerry can.

The oil companies have reportedly made millions of dollars in profits after selling an alleged 8 million liters at a nonsubsidized price.

Comments 12
Thumb geha 12 February 2012, 17:43

Comments beside the point are just that!
maybe they took money or not, that will be clarified in time.
but the FPM has been claiming transparency and that they are reformists: the red diesel matter and other scandals are just clarifications of how much Aoun and his horde of thieves are stealing from us just to fill their pockects :)

Missing peace 12 February 2012, 18:31

lol

Missing helicopter 12 February 2012, 18:22

If we take him at his word.....the movement is “against any form of armament” and that it wants the state to be in full control of security in the country........ then I laud him. I would be celebrating if the same is declared (even though not sincerely, it will still be a good start) by all others - especially by Hezb.

Default-user-icon Enough (Guest) 12 February 2012, 20:08

Flamer, the old days that no one misses are the ones when the senile ex general stole all he could as he deserted the army and ran off to hide in France. That the Deserter can come back into goverment, even if it is only as a puppet, is a shame! You are rambling like your master.

The fact is that Irans gunmen the beloved Hezbollah will never give up their weapon. So anyone who what's to open up their mouths about arms outside of the military should start there.

Thumb jabalamel 12 February 2012, 21:25

our domestic traitor and unofficial leader of salafi party is hallucinating that arming his gangs is same as arming our glorious resistance.

and filthy slimy zionist media terrorists hallucinate that he is right.

Missing peace 12 February 2012, 23:36

the zionist clown has spoken again....

Default-user-icon Aziz (Guest) 13 February 2012, 01:39

Jabalhabal..Nothing is Glorious about your filthy "resistance".more than half of the Lebanese believe they are a filthy militia that want to advocate the Iranian agenda by force.. We hate them and I am not afraid to admit it..let's make a free referendum and see what percentage of lebanese support you ( including the expatriate) again if you win 'halel 3a albak" we will call Lebanon "Jabal 3amel"..but again you are afraid of the reality the same way the baath party in Syria is afraid of a free election

Thumb jabalamel 13 February 2012, 01:45

the special zionist task force answering machine has spoken again.

Default-user-icon Evo Ponti (Guest) 13 February 2012, 10:13

The losers now want proof that the sun exists. They also want proof that Rafic Syria was not Syria's best rafic and collaborator on the backs of the decent Lebanese. Go figure.

Thumb lebneneh 13 February 2012, 11:48

spiteful, hateful and boring rhetoric from both sides...when will the Lebanese know that no political leader or side is "God"...Don't just follow and chant their names while bashing each other while we're all Lebanese. Grow up and save this bloody country!

Default-user-icon Tchango Baytes (Guest) 13 February 2012, 19:52

So the Lebanese Army put its hands on the arms depot that is in the middle of Al Mustaqbal territory, and now according to Saniora, must justify its own arms! This crook, thief an collaborator with every enemy of Lebanon is better off reciting stale poems just as Potato Nadim recites stale speeches of the filthiest mafioso, criminal and collaborator with Lebanon's enemies ever, his own father.

Thumb jabalamel 14 February 2012, 07:24

the filthy zionist media terrorists try to speak with me, with some hallucinatory idea that lebanese do not support our glorious resistance.

obviously they change people in zionist information war department so each one new that comes, try to speak to me not knowing that i don't speak to worms and them.