By Mohammed Zaatari
SIDON, Lebanon: Ahead of the
anniversary of Musa Sadr’s disappearance Friday, rumors persist in Sidon that
controversial Sheikh Ahmad Assir might try to disrupt proceedings by blocking
the southern road heading to Nabatieh, where the ceremony will take place.
There is talk in Sidon that Assir
intends to hold a sit-in in the Hisbeh area, close to Ain al-Hilweh.
Assir said in an interview that
people traveling to Nabatieh from across the country are safe, but added that
he intends to send a peaceful message to the Shiite sect at Friday prayers.
Meanwhile, political and security
meetings have taken place in Sidon to discuss how the presence of Assir’s
followers might interfere with those travelling to Nabatieh for Friday’s
commemoration of the Shiite imam, who disappeared during a visit to Libya in
1978.
The Amal Movement, of which Sadr was
a founding member, has placed the final touches on the preparations for
Friday’s ceremony – the 34th anniversary of the Imam’s disappearance.
The organizing committee says that
thousands of seats have been arranged and that all logistical preparations have
been completed, with the streets of Nabatieh decorated with victory arches and
resistance banners.
Lebanese and Amal flags have been
raised, along with photos of Sadr and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, pictured
together on posters which read: “For every oppressor there is an end, and we
are waiting.”
A Lebanese ministerial committee has
been tasked with investigating Sadr’s disappearance.
Previously, Lebanese authorities in
charge of the case had issued an arrest warrant for then-Libyan leader Moammar
Gadhafi, who died in last year’s Libyan revolution.
During the commemoration, Berri will
comment on the situation in the country, as well as reveal what the committee
and the Libyan authorities have discovered so far.
The head of the committee, Judge
Hasan Shami, dismissed Tuesday claims that Sadr’s remains had been discovered,
adding that he believed the imam and his two companions were being held in an
unknown detention center in Libya.
Amal has refrained from raising any
commemorative banners or posters in the city of Sidon itself to avoid creating
tension.
One victory arch was raised at the
southern entrance to Sidon, but was later unintentionally destroyed by a road
accident.
Speaking to The Daily Star at his
home in the village of Shwaliq, Assir said he was preparing further “peaceful
and civilized” action, as no solution had yet been reached on the issue of
non-state arms.
Assir and his supporters previously
held a monthlong sit-in between July and August in protest of Hezbollah’s arms,
during which the northern entrance to Sidon was blocked.
Assir denied that he had visited the
Ain al-Hilweh camp in order to coordinate a new sit-in.
In response to rumors that he
intends to hold a protest Friday to obstruct the movement of Sadr supporters,
Assir said: “We are not thugs who would block the road. We are protesting the
tyranny of weapons, because of repeated violations against us and the Lebanese
people. That doesn’t mean we would right a wrong by committing further wrongs.”
“Our sit-in was peaceful and
civilized, and the seaside road remained open,” he added.
During the sit-in, Assir’s
supporters clashed with members of the Popular Nasserite Organization in a gun
battle that left five people injured.
Assir describes the sit-in as being
“designed to raise the issue of weapons, so that they can be discussed
seriously. If it is not discussed at the dialogue table we will return to our
peaceful and civilized sit-in – but as of yet we haven’t determined when and
where.”
During Ramadan, Assir promised to
take action after Eid al-Fitr.
The March 14 coalition have, to
varying degrees, withdrawn from recent National Dialogue sessions over the
omission of non-state arms from the agenda, but President Michel Sleiman has
vowed the issue will be discussed at the next meeting, scheduled for Sept. 20.
Sources close to Assir have said
that he has been warned by local security officials not to act recklessly, and
that he would be prevented from carrying out a similarly disruptive sit-in
again to prevent growing tension in Lebanon.
According to the sources, Assir has
been warned that taking action Friday would be a “suicide attempt,” and he has
been advised to keep any civil action within the walls of his mosque.
They added that Sidon MP Bahia
Hariri had requested that Army commander General Jean Kahwagi prevent Assir
from obstructing the passage of those heading to Nabatieh to participate in
Friday’s ceremony.
Also Wednesday, Jamaa Islamiya
official Bassam Hammoud visited Amal Movement’s office in Haret Saida, where he
discussed ways to strengthen dialogue in Sidon.
Also discussed was how best to
resolve any problems that might arise as a result of the growing tensions in
the country.
Hammoud was also accompanied by
Islamic forces from Ain al-Hilweh and a representative of the Salafist movement
in the city.
After the meeting, Hammoud said:
“The region and Lebanon are going through delicate times, which require from
everyone high levels of national responsibility [in order] to prevent strife in
the country.”
“There are already a number of areas
across Lebanon which have been experiencing instability and chaos, including
the bloody battles in north Lebanon, and the kidnappings in Beirut and the
Bekaa.”
“All this is jeopardizing the
stability and civil peace, which is already fragile in Lebanon,” he added.
In order to maintain Sidon as a
“symbol of coexistence,” Hammoud said that “we met with our brothers in the
Amal Movement and there was clear agreement that Sidon and its Hara and camps
are one unit.
“Any violation against these places
will be rejected and condemned, and the perpetrator will be held responsible.”
Sidon’s former mayor, Abdul-Rahman
Bizri, issued a statement Wednesday rejecting the use of the city’s streets to
express political opinions.
He stressed his “rejection that the
city’s streets and squares be used to express personal opinions and to harm the
interests of the people, by blocking roads and obstructing traffic. This will
only harm Sidon, its heritage, and civil, social and political peace.”
Bizri added that the Lebanese government
and the Interior Ministry were responsible for preventing a repetition of the
crisis which Sidon experienced during Assir’s sit-in.
He added that the anniversary of Sadr’s
disappearance was important to Sidon, as it was the capital of the south, and
so also the capital of the resistance against Israel.http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/Aug-30/186117-assir-denies-plans-to-disrupt-sadr-ceremony.ashx#axzz253nNLWTE
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