28 July 2010
BEIRUT: Information Minister Tarek Mitri stressed Tuesday the importance of strengthening national unity against Israeli threats through dialogue within the Cabinet rather than trading accusations which deepen divisions among Lebanese domestic parties.
“Getting carried away [with accusations] does not serve challenging Israel but rather weakens Lebanon through provoking and deepening divisions among its people,” Mitri told journalists he met at his office.
He added that national consensus within the ranks of the Cabinet over the protection of Lebanon from ongoing Israeli threats and violations to the country’s sovereignty were not subject to debate but rather constituted a firm stance.
“There is consensus on cracking down on spying networks and demanding the international community assume its responsibilities in that regard, a demand the government asked for through submitting a report to the UN Security Council on the issue,” Mitri said.
Mitri said that the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s latest report on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 pointed out the issue of spying networks for Israel but played down their importance as a violation to Resolution 1701 and an aggression against Lebanon.
Three spies at the state-run mobile network Alfa were recently arrested by security forces and the Lebanese Army intelligence. Tarek al-Rabaa, an engineer, and Charbel Qazzi, a technician at Alfa, were arrested along with an unidentified former employee on suspicion of spying for Israel.
The detainees are suspected of having collaborated with Israeli authorities since 1996.
Lebanon has arrested over 70 people since last year on suspicion of spying for Israel and may face life in prison with hard labor or the death penalty if found guilty of contributing to Lebanese loss of life.
Tackling the ongoing domestic debate over the expected indictments by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) to try suspects in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, Mitri said the Lebanese should resort to dialogue rather than trade accusations. “The Cabinet is the best place for dialogue to preserve the country’s best interests regardless of the extent of disputes,” Mitri said.
March 14 parties and Hizbullah have been trading accusation over destabilizing the country and raising tensions that could lead to civil strife after Hizbullah condemned the STL as an “Israeli project” which was fabricating false accusations against the party to undermine the resistance’s role in Lebanon.
Commenting on upcoming visits by Arab head of states to Lebanon, Mitri said the expected visits reflected the Arab world’s keenness on preserving Lebanon’s stability and keenness on repelling dangers facing the country. – The Daily Star
Copyright The Daily Star 2010.
