Mustaqbal Calls for Expulsion of Syrian Ambassador over His ‘Crimes’ in Lebanon

The Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc noted on Tuesday that the facts released by the media over the case of former minister Michel Samaha and Syrian security chief Ali al-Mamlouk revealed the “extent of the Syrian regime’s involvement” in destabilizing Lebanon.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “The revelations require the expulsion of Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali because he had proven his involvement in covering up and participating in crimes in Lebanon.”

It demanded the suspension of security agreements between Lebanon and Syria and the suspension of the Higher Lebanese-Syrian Council.

It also demanded that a complaint be filed over Syria’s practices to the Arab League and United Nations.

The bloc also suggested that the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon assist the Lebanese army in controlling the borders with Syria in accordance with Security Council resolution 1701.

On August 11, Samaha and Mamlouk were charged with forming a gang aimed at committing crimes in Lebanon.

The attacks they were planning were allegedly aimed at targeting religious and political figures.

The Mustaqbal bloc praised the Internal Security Forces and its Intelligence Bureau for their arrest of Samaha, warning of attempts to pressure the judiciary to release the former minister.

Addressing the recent unrest in the northern city of Tripoli, the bloc said: “The city was and will always remain the symbol of moderation and national unity.”

“All attempts to tarnish this image will therefore fail no matter how often the perpetrators try,” it continued.

It praised the army and security forces for their deployment in the city and northern Lebanon, saying that this is the first step towards their regaining of control in those areas.

“The security situation must remain strictly under the control of the army and ISF and therefore anyone who violates security must be treated as an outlaw,” it added.

The Mustaqbal bloc stressed that the government is responsible for “firmly dealing with this issue, which will hopefully lead to the complete removal of illegitimate arms throughout Lebanon.”

It added however that the security approach is insufficient in tackling the situation in Tripoli and the North, stating that it should be accompanied with a “deep political plan.”

This plan would help create a political and national reconciliation among its residents, it explained.

The government is therefore urged to immediately provide compensations to the people who were affected in the recent clashes, the bloc said.

The Tripoli clashes broke out recently over an individual incident and they soon escalated into fighting between the rival Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods, leaving at least 15 dead and 120 wounded.

Calm has since been restored in the city.