Hariri Warns of Sedition, Calls on Lebanese to Calm Down

Head of al-Mustaqbal Movement Saad Hariri appealed on Tuesday to the Lebanese for calm, warning of slipping into sedition.

“I call on all the Lebanese, in particular the residents of (the eastern) Bekaa valley, (the northern portal city of) Tripoli and the town of Akkar, to be calm, have patience and wisdom,” Hariri said in a statement issued by his press office.

He renewed his trust in Prime Minister Tammam Salam's government and its decisions amid the “critical” situation in the country's history.

“We should safeguard our country from slipping into sedition... The Sunnis and Shiites have the decision to fend off strife and prevent the Syrian and Iraqi developments from” igniting the country, Hariri said.

Tit-for-tat kidnappings on Monday sparked unrest in the Bekaa towns of Saadnayel and Arsal. The alarming developments prompted the army to raid the houses of suspected kidnappers in the Bekaa town of Brital.

Lebanon has been faced with the possibility of the spread of extremists to the country in light of the clashes in August between the army and Islamists from Syria in the northeastern border town of Arsal.

Tensions have also been high between the Lebanese people and Syrian refugees given the Islamists' kidnapping and beheading of a number of soldiers and policemen they had abducted from Arsal at the end of the clashes.

Hariri considered that the “dark political, ethical and humanitarian” developments are far from the principles of coexistence between countrymen.

“The return to the kidnapping and counter-kidnapping and incitement is a negative development amid the rise in sectarian tension,” the Mustaqbal chief warned.

He pointed out that the crisis of the abducted soldiers and policemen, who are from different sects and areas, should compel the Lebanese to support the state and prevent terrorists from achieving their goals.

H.K.

M.T.