Saniora from Sidon: Law Should Be Imposed on All Sides without Discrimination

Head of the Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora slammed on Tuesday the clashes that took place in the southern city of Sidon, hailing the army in containing them and restoring peace.

He hoped that the “law would be imposed without discrimination.”

He made his remarks from the area of Abra in Sidon that witnessed clashes between the army and armed supporters of Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir.

The MP hoped that the way the army tackled the situation in Sidon would be applied to all security zones in Lebanon.

He made his remark in an indirect reference to Hizbullah.

Moreover, Saniora demanded that the case of Sidon apartments occupied by gunmen be resolved.

The phenomenon of security zones should be eliminated in all other regions in Lebanon, he explained.

“We expect the army to deal with all sides equally,” he said.

Asked by reporters about the smuggling of arms in the city, Saniora replied: “This issue should be addressed by the security agencies, not lawmakers.”

At least 16 soldiers were killed and 50 were wounded in clashes with the armed supporters of al-Asir in Sidon.

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.

Clashes had broken out between al-Asir's supporters and members of the Resistance Brigades that are affiliated with Hizbullah a few days before the Sidon unrest erupted.

Al-Asir had made a call at the time that the apartments allegedly occupied by the Hizbullah gunmen be evacuated.