Mustaqbal Urges 'Strict' Security Plan in N. Bekaa, Warns of Presidential Void Impact
Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday called for implementing a “strict” security plan in the northern Bekaa region, condemning the latest incident in the town of Btedei which left a man and his wife dead and their son injured.
“The bloc strongly condemns the heinous crime and warns of its dangerous and negative repercussions on civil peace in the country,” Mustaqbal said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.
It urged authorities and security forces to “quickly arrest the perpetrators and put them on trial so that criminals receive the fair punishment.”
Moreover, the bloc called on the government, the army and the security forces to “implement a strict security plan in the northern Bekaa region, similar to the one that is being implemented in Tripoli and the North, which targeted all streets and all security violators.”
It said such a plan would contribute to “restoring the state's prestige and exclusive authority across all Lebanese regions” and would “prove that it is acting without any discrimination between one region and another or one group and another.”
The two members of the Fakhri family were killed during clashes between the Lebanese army and fugitives from the Jaafar clan in the Baalbek town of Btedei.
The gunmen were fleeing raids carried out by the army in the Dar al-Wasaa area when they entered the family's house with the intent of taking their vehicle. The family refused to fulfill the demands of the armed men, which prompted them to shoot the couple and their son, according to media reports.
Turning to the issue of the presidential vacuum, the bloc underlined that “the main mission of MPs and political forces” during this period should be “seeking consensus over the election of a new president who can unite the Lebanese rather than deepen the rift between them.”
Mustaqbal also called on lawmakers and political parties to prepare a new electoral law for parliamentary polls.
The bloc also warned that “continued presidential vacuum aggravates the state of political and security chaos in the country,” noting that “Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement are directly responsible for impeding the elections and obstructing the work of constitutional institutions.”
The Baabda Palace has been vacant since the expiry of President Michel Suleiman's term in May. The rival MPs failed to elect a new head of state over their differences on a compromise candidate.
Y.R.
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