Saniora Says Center House to Host Follow Up Meeting on Tripoli Next Week

Head of al-Mustaqbal Parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Saniora revealed that prominent Tripoli lawmakers and the March 14 alliance will hold another meeting next week to follow talks held on Monday at the Center House.

“Monday's meeting was set to follow up the development projects in Tripoli Declaration,” Saniora said in comments published in An Nahar newspaper on Tuesday.

He pointed out that participants tackled the mechanism in which Tripoli's economy could be reactivated.

Saniora said next week's meeting will address the political challenges in the northern city, including calls to declare the Tripoli arms-free.

Asked about reconciliation among the rival parties in Tripoli, Saniora said that the matter will be tackled during the upcoming meeting.

The conferees in Monday's meeting at the Center House established a committee set to follow up on the implementation of development projects planned for the northern city.

The committee comprises of lawmakers Samir al-Jisr, Khodr Habib, Samer Saade, Kazem al-Kheir and Robert Fadel, in addition to ex-Finance Minister Rayya al-Hassan and Issam Abdel Qader.

The March 14 alliance announced the Tripoli Declaration on December 15 during a conference on “Coexistence in the North is a Joint National Responsibility” held in the city.

Tripoli had been plagued by numerous rounds of clashes between the rival Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods.

They have gained in intensity since the eruption of the unrest in Syria in March 2011.

The clashes have been linked to the conflict in Syria, with Bab al-Tabbaneh supporting Syrian rebels and Jabal Mohsen backing the Syrian regime.