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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Lebanon Backtracks on Calls for 'Arms-Free' Beirut |
| 2010-09-06 |
| [Asharq al-Aswat] A chorus of calls for an "arms-free" Beirut triggered by a deadly battle outside a mosque last week is fast fading after Leb's powerful Hezbullies movement warned against any attempt to disarm it. After an August 24 shootout between supporters of the Shiite Hezbullies and those of Sunni faction Al-Ahbash -- two loosely allied Syrian-backed parties -- Western-backed Prime Minister Saad Hariri launched a campaign calling for Beirut to be stripped of its omnipresent weapons. But Hezbullies has cautioned the Hariri camp against raising the issue of its huge arsenal. "As usual, the situation is very, very precarious on all levels," said Sahar Atrache, Middle East and North Africa analyst at the Brussels-based think-tank, the International Crisis Group. "Having these weapons spread everywhere is alarming, especially as security and stability in Leb are clearly not under control," Atrache told AFP. |
| Posted by:Fred |