By
Rakan al-Fakih
ARSAL,
Lebanon: March 14 called on the Lebanese government Sunday to protect residents
of border towns from the Syrian Army.
“We
call on the Lebanese government to immediately intervene to stop the violations
of Lebanon’s sovereignty by the Syrian regime’s army, which is terrorizing the
Lebanese and preventing them from using their land,” said a statement by a
March 14 delegation which visited the village and the Syrian refugees living in
and around it.
“The
continuation of such acts represents a flagrant violation of Lebanon’s
independence and sovereignty, contradicting the National Pact and legitimate
international resolutions,” the March 14 statement added.
Arsal,
with its 40,000 to 50,000 residents, has become a flashpoint since the
beginning of the uprising in Syria. In December, Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn
said members of Al-Qaeda were crossing into Lebanon under the guise that they
were Syrian opposition, particularly into Arsal. He also said arms smuggling
was taking place there.
Last
week, Arsal locals announced a man was killed and two of his children were
wounded when Syrian army shelling hit their house. In the past few months,
shells from the Syrian army have hit Lebanese border towns, and locals say the
army troops sometimes cross the border to hunt down rebels.
The
March 14 delegation included members of the group’s secretariat and MPs. They
met with Syrian refugees, after which Fares Soueid, general coordinator of
March 14’s secretariat, asked “why does the Higher Relief Committee care for
[Syrian refugees] in the north, and forget the Bekaa?”
He
said the Health Ministry does not bear the costs of treating residents who have
been fired at by the Syrian army, “in fact it utterly refuses to do so.”
Soueid
said the delegation had come “to show solidarity with the residents of Arsal,
and to direct a clear message to Lebanon’s government, which has greatly
neglected the residents of this area.”
“We
tell ... Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s government: The government has neglected
residents in the north and the Bekaa for long enough,” he said.
In
addition to calling on the government and HRC to aid and protect the area’s
residents and Syrian refugees, the delegation’s statement also called on
official Arab and international bodies to visit the area and look into its
needs, saying that “the credibility of Arab states is on the line, and the
credibility of the international community is facing a test in providing relief
for the people and protecting them.”
“March
14 forces consider Arsal, Wadi Khaled, Jabel al-Sheikh, Arida, and Al-Qaa ...
all areas that are targeted by the Syrian regime’s army,” the statement
continued.
Arsal’s
mayor, Ali Houjeiri, warned that “if the government is unable to protect the
area and its residents, this will push the town’s people to take care of their
own security.” Like the March 14 delegation, he stressed his support for the
Syrian uprising. He also called on security forces to take responsibility for
kidnappings in the area.
The
Future Movement’s general coordinator in Arsal, Bakr Houjeiri, said that it is
time for March 14, “which represents all sects in Lebanon, to take initiative
and work to take back the government and its authority from the ruling party,
which has pushed the country into chaos and has hit hard the people’s economic
and social interests, [in order] not to allow coups by militias.”
Counts vary as to how many
Syrian refugees are in Lebanon, but the UNHCR said last week it is aiding
26,000 – 14,514 of them registered – and local charities put the number at
around 42,000.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/May-14/173298-march-14-lebanese-need-state-to-halt-syrian-raids.ashx#axzz1upf1xgxm
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