August 26, 2010 12:00 AM By Nafez Kawas
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Cabinet called on political parties to commit to a calm political debate Wednesday, amid rising tensions following Tuesday’s clashes in Beirut between Hizbullah and the Association of Islamic Projects, better known as Al-Ahbash.
Following its meeting, the Cabinet tasked a committee headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud and Defense Minister Elias Murr to investigate the large-scale possession of weapons in the capital.
Information Minister Tarek Mitri told reporters the committee will report its findings to the government in an upcoming session to take appropriate action to resolve the issue.
Three men were killed in the clashes between supporters of Hizbullah and Sunni faction Al-Ahbash. The fighting, which both parties blamed on an individual dispute, escalated to a large scale armed clash.
Hariri, who condemned the incident, stressed that the fighting was unacceptable, and demanded that security forces impose more strict security measures in Beirut and the Lebanese territories.
The premier added that political parties must also assume the responsibility of restraining their supporters and lift political protection from assailants.
Asked whether an individual dispute was behind the incident, Mitri said that investigations were still ongoing.
“We are not investigators and the Cabinet did not conduct a probe … but what matters most to us besides reasons behind the incident is how Beirut streets turned into a battlefield due to the presence of weapons of all calibers and their ease of use in a large scale.”
“Reasons behind tensions governing the country could be unrelated to the incident and some indirect reasons could have fueled the clashes,” Mitri added.
The minister also denied that the army stood idly by, saying they they intervened to end the clashes.
“This does not justify the army’s failure to assume its duties, which was not the case yesterday,” Mitri said when asked whether fear of a schism among its ranks prevented the army from intervening in the clashes.
Analysts fear that divisions may strike the ranks of the Lebanese Army, an institution that mirrors Lebanon’s multi-confessional society, if the latter is to intervene in sectarian clashes.
In the same meeting, the Cabinet also tackled the electricity rationing crisis as Hariri demanded Energy Minister Jibran Bassil propose an emergency plan to resolve long hours of power cuts while awaiting Parliament’s approval of the budget to allow the implementation of a comprehensive plan to reform the electricity sector.
Bassil warned against masked provocations behind electricity rationing protests while stressing the need to resolve violations of the electricity network.
Bassil added that he would submit a plan to the government to acquire small and large generators as well as a vessel to generate additional electricity power.
The government also approved a plan to process solid waste as well as a LL50 billion ($33 million) loan to cover the deficit in the social affairs fund.
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