Dispute over Hezbollah telecoms network is over: Tarshish mayor

11 November 2011

BEIRUT: The state has won a victory against Hezbollah’s alleged private telecommunications project in Tarshish and security there has stabilized, Mayor Gaby Semaan said Thursday.

“I am glad to say that there is no longer a dispute in the town and the state has stopped the installment of a private telecommunications network in Tarshish,” Semaan told The Daily Star.

“The state has finally triumphed over statelets,” Semaan added.

Semaan’s announcement came almost a month after residents in Tarshish stopped engineers who, according to local officials, were engaged in the construction of a telecommunications network for Hezbollah through the town.

Officials in the town and several MPs sounded the alarm last month after the government was unable to to settle the dispute between the pro-March 14 residents of the town and Hezbollah.

There were no clear indications Thursday that members of Hezbollah would not continue to pursue the telecoms project and party spokesperson Ibrahim Musawi told The Daily Star that he was unaware of the dispute and that he could not comment on it.

In some areas of the country, Hezbollah’s telecoms network has not been met with opposition, but the alleged project in Tarshish, which the party has declined to comment on, raised the ire of local officials and March 14 politicians. For its part, the Telecommunications Ministry said that no party had the right to use state infrastructure for private use without receiving official authorization.

The issue has stirred reactions in Tarshish in recent weeks. Sources close to the municipality had told The Daily Star that the party’s plan was to connect its network to a telecom post located in Kfar Salwan, a hilltop area in Tarshish.

In a day-long visit to Beirut, Semaan met with Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi and Interior Minister Marwan Charbel. While the ministers refrained from commenting on the telecoms dispute, Semaan praised the officials for their cooperation.

“I would like to thank all officials who stood by the town’s security and stability, and helped us avoid problems,” said Semaan.

The dispute flared up last month when a round of threats were made against the municipality’s guards, as some were advised not to stand in the way of Hezbollah’s telecoms network.

“If you … still remember that May 7 took place because of the telecoms network, why are you standing in our way?” a Hezbollah official was reported to have said during a meeting with the municipality of Tarshish last month.

Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s government decided to dismantle the party’s network in 2008, sparking two weeks of civil strife in which dozens were killed. Siniora’s government then reversed the decision.

Semaan said the situation in Tarshish had returned to normal.

“We also thank the army and the Internal Security Forces for their efforts in solving this dispute, which had worried many in the town,” said Semaan.

“They have all shown that they support the logic of the state and not mini-states,” Semaan added.