Justice Minister Shakib
Qortbawi voiced concern on Wednesday over the reports concerning the abduction
of Lebanese nationals in Syria.
“The kidnapping of the
Lebanese pilgrims in Syria [while on their way back from Iran] is a dangerous
[incident],” Qortbawi told Voice of Lebanon (100.5) radio station.
The minister, however,
commended the “very responsible” reaction of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement
“which contributed to wading off the deterioration of the situation on the
internal Lebanese scene.”
Earlier on Tuesday, 13
Lebanese Shia Muslims were kidnapped in Aleppo province as they were headed
back home by bus from a pilgrimage in Iran. Their families said that they were
abducted by Syrian rebels. The Free Syrian Army, however, denied the accusation.
Qortbawi called on the
Lebanese to “learn from the lessons of the past,” adding, “what is needed is
maintaining [the country’s] stability but not calling for the withdrawal of the
[Lebanese] army,” in a reference to the calls for the withdrawal of the LAF
from the North following the sectarian clashes that gripped Tripoli and its
surroundings.
Clashes and protests in the
Lebanese northern city of Tripoli followed the arrest of Lebanese citizen Shadi
al-Mawlawi earlier in May by General Security at a social services center
belonging Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi.
The security situation
further deteriorated on Sunday when army troops shot dead a Sunni cleric when
his convoy allegedly failed to stop at a checkpoint in North Lebanon.
No comments:
Post a Comment