Ministers Defend Silence on Incursion as March 14 Calls for Summoning Syrian Envoy
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Cabinet ministers defended the March 8-led government against critics who accused it of intentionally not issuing a statement against several incursions made by the Syrian army in Lebanese towns in the North and the eastern Bekaa valley.
Information Minister Walid Daouq told Free Lebanon radio that the government didn’t discuss the issue during its session on Wednesday “because it is being solved at the level of involved ministers.”
He said: “Lebanon is not attempting to take a stand from the Syrian issue … Each country respects the sovereignty of the other.”
Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi also defended the cabinet, saying “security agencies and the Lebanese army are fulfilling their duties.”
“This issue is being handled by security forces,” the minister told Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5).
“Everything else remains political talk,” he said about the criticism of the March 14-led opposition that the government avoided discussing the infiltration of Syrian troops into the eastern town of Arsal.
An Nahar daily quoted an eyewitness as saying that two BTR-type armored personnel carriers along with a pickup carrying Syrian soldiers crossed the border in the area of Kherbet Daoud near Arsal on Tuesday.
The soldiers raided the homes of brothers Zahri and Abdel Aziz al-Jabawi randomly firing from their machineguns. They later returned to the location where they came from.
On Monday, more than 20 Syrian soldiers infiltrated 500 meters deep into Lebanese territory in the area of Rajam Beit Khalaf and al-Kalkha in Wadi Khaled in the northern province of Akkar.
Two weeks ago, a unit from the Syrian military accidentally fired at the Lebanese army after it infiltrated an area near the town of al-Mwanseh also in the north.
Several March 14 officials blasted the government on Thursday for failing to deal with the issue.
“This is not the first time that Lebanese borders are being violated particularly in the Bekaa area of Arsal,” al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Jamal al-Jarrah told Future News.
“The government behaved as if nothing has happened,” he said, adding that the cabinet should summon the Syrian ambassador, Ali Abdul Karim Ali, to condemn the violations.
On Wednesday, Lawmaker Butros Harb also urged Lebanese authorities to “immediately” summon Ali to protest the incident.
Another al-Mustaqbal bloc MP, Ammar Houri, slammed the cabinet, saying the Syrian infiltration into the area of Arsal is a confirmation that the Lebanese government is “Syrian.”
“The Hizbullah cabinet remained neutral on a sovereign issue and buried its head like an ostrich in the sands,” he said.
06 October 2011, 13:05
13
these are the craziest excuses forwarded by m8 so far. all BS
06 October 2011, 13:34
13
I beleive they are driving the country to explode.
something is bound to happen soon and it will be extremely bad, but it will be the last round.
06 October 2011, 14:04
41
as i predicted in one post couple of days ago, there is a close coordination between our army and syrian army on this issue so it's not really an issue at all
06 October 2011, 14:21
41
except for those who will use every opportunity to repeat theirs endless propaganda
06 October 2011, 15:04
12
@habal
This is a scoop!! You are saying that there is a close coordination between the syrian army and the Iranian army!!??
06 October 2011, 15:23
12
excuse me for the few spelling and grammar mistakes :) I was typing with my baby on my lap
06 October 2011, 15:25
13
So jabalamel, tell me this, since there is "close coordination" between our army and the the syrian army, the syrians should not have problems with our own army crossing the border and going on raids in syrian villages when stolen cars are taking to the syrian side and when drug dealers and other outlaws run our of Lebanon and hide in syria...
Oh, and one more thing, there is close coordination between all European armies, and between the American and Canadian army, and between the the American and Mexican army...I don't see them crossing the each other's borders...Even in more civilized countries, when the police are chasing someone from one area to another, they have to inform the police force responsible for that area...that's within the same county!
Please, before you start talking BS, use your brain and not what you were trained to say....and I emphasize on trained
06 October 2011, 15:32
31
the filthy zionist information war department is so scared of iranian army that they halucinate about it on lebanese border.
this is because many many years ago they got used to make incursion in lebanese teritorry without any resistance and losses.
but since 1982 the lebanon became nightmare for them
and they can't explain it.
so they say it's iranian army.
06 October 2011, 16:08
03
Habalamel....as usual for you and the M8 camp, you never respond to questions when you know that the only answer you have will contradict all your sayings...the truth hurts doesn't it? Instead you start blowing your horns in another direction, trying to distract people....that doesn't work anymore....the only reason the M8 camp is in the government is because of their arms and threats, and they talk about democracy...BS....you are Lebanon's worst enemy...you are killing Lebanon from the inside....just like a cancer.....not everyone who speaks against syria or Hizbullah is a zionist...WE ARE LEBANESE!!!!!
06 October 2011, 18:30
00
and yet today another syrian incursion killing a Lebanese!!!!!!!!!!!!
07 October 2011, 13:20
00
the filthy zionist information war department is using typical mossad style lies propaganda.
syrian army killed syrian citizen who was residing in lebanon and not lebanese.
oh i see joeleb put me some questions and than complained that i didn't answer. well, simply. when your premises is wrong, than your questions are not worth answering.
