Fatah al-Islam attack Lebanon's stability
Lebanon-UN, Politics, 5/21/2007

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed concern about the fighting in Lebanon and called on all sides to protect civilians.

Ban "is gravely concerned about the fighting in the last two days between Fatah el-Islam gunmen and the Lebanese army," his spokesperson said in a statement.

"The actions of Fatah al-Islam are an attack on Lebanon's stability and sovereignty," Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

The Secretary-General welcomed the "united stand taken by Palestinian factions in Lebanon denouncing these attacks on the Lebanese army" and called on all sides to do their utmost to protect innocent civilians.

"The Secretary-General also strongly condemns yesterday's terrorist bombing in Beirut," the statement said, urging the Lebanese "to unite in the face of threats to their stability and security."

Head of the Future Bloc in Parliament MP Saad Hariri called for a resumption of national dialogue, and not a new cycle of internal divisions, in the aftermath of violence in Tripoli and the overnight explosion in Beirut. He said the Lebanese Army is engaged in a battle against a terrorist group that has links neither to Islam nor to Palestinians, but is supported by an "evil regime" that seeks to destabilize Lebanon.

Hariri reiterated backing for the Palestinians and said Lebanon will not bargain over their cause. He hailed the support that Palestinian factions and the Palestinian authorities have expressed for Lebanon, and urged them to help achieve stability. He said the Fateh el-Islam group is the latest tool that is being used to weaken Lebanon, but he made clear that the Lebanese will not yield.

He paid tribute to Lebanese Army dead and to the victims of the Ashrafieh district of Beirut bombing, and told the gathering that the state and the army cannot be held responsible for a battle that was imposed upon them by those seeking to destabilize the country.

Representative of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Abbas Zaki reiterated backing for state institutions and the Lebanese Army, and condemned Fateh el-Islam militants for the ongoing fighting in the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp in Tripoli in North Lebanon.

Hariri yesterday condemned the deadly militant attacks on Lebanese Army positions in the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp, and called for dealing decisively with the so-called Fateh al-Islam group. Hariri expressed full backing for an operation by Internal Security Forces and the Lebanese Army to round up suspects in a string of crimes in the Tripoli area last night, and said the Fateh al-Islam group is a terrorist organization that was "exported" to the country and received arms supplies from well-known sources.

In a statement, Hariri urged cooperation with the security forces, especially by Future Movement supporters, and made clear that Islam is a religion of moderation that neither approves of attacks against citizens nor of terrorism. He stressed that those using religion as a front to stage such attacks are known, adding aggression against the state and its institutions will be countered with an iron grip.

Later, after a meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora at the Grand Serail, Head of the Future Bloc made clear that Lebanon will not become an open battle field, adding Fateh al-Islam's goal is to destabilize Lebanon. He supported action by the armed forces to deal with the group once and for all. While at the Grand Serail, MP Hariri also expressed his condolences for the death of soldiers to Army Commander General Michel Sleiman, who was scheduled to meet Premier Siniora.

Lebanon's Security Forces "rightfully" are taking action against a violent extremist group that has been operating out of a Palestinian refugee camp in Tripoli, Lebanon, the State Department said, adding that the group, Fatah al-Islam, is "dedicated to the use of violence."

US Department Of State spokesman Sean McCormack said today that the Lebanese Security Forces "are working in a legitimate manner to provide a secure stable environment for the Lebanese people in the wake of provocations and attacks."

He said Fatah al-Islam has been involved in "a number of violent activities," and that its leader, Shakir Youssef al-Abssi, was sentenced to death in absentia by a Jordanian court in 2004 for his involvement in the 2002 murder of US diplomat Lawrence Foley in Amman.

"So this is a group that is dedicated to the use of violence to achieve whatever their stated objective may be," McCormack said.

Fatah al-Islam recently has conducted armed "attacks and forays" outside the borders of the refugee camp, including a bank robbery, McCormack said.

According to press reports, Fatah al-Islam is a relatively small group, linked to al-Qaida, that grew out of the pro-Syrian Fatah Intifada. However, McCormack declined to connect the group directly with Syria. "I can't say that there aren't any links, but at this point I wouldn't draw that connection," he said.

He also said he would not draw any linkage between the violence in Tripoli and possible UN action to push for an international tribunal to investigate the February 2005 assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, a former Lebanese prime minister.

Previous Stories:
  Time for Security Council action on Lebanese Hariri tribunal: Ban Ki-moon   (5/15/2007)
  Hariri murder investigation expects a 'unifying theory' soon   (3/20/2007)
  Lebanon reconstruction focus of talks between Ban Ki-moon and French leader   (1/27/2007)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search