UN Official Hails Role of Lebanon’s Armed Forces

The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly praised on Sunday the role that the Lebanese Armed Forces had played during the recent wave of unrest in Beirut, expressing his support to the continuation of Lebanon’s policy of dissociating itself from the turmoil in Syria.

The UN official was referring to the incident in which two sheikhs were killed by the Lebanese Army at a military checkpoint in Kwaikhat. Plumbly expressed sadness over the event, emphasizing the importance of continuing the investigation into the matter until all details come out.

But he also stressed that during the recent security incidents, “political leaders managed to send calming signals and deal with the immediate issues.”

In an interview with Voice of Lebanon Radio, Plumbly said that any national dialogue in Lebanon should include discussions over illegal arms. “Such weapons create alarm, and the situation must be addressed from the perspective of protecting the welfare and safety of Lebanese society as a whole,” he said.

He said Lebanon should “take stock of these inappropriate and unsafe phenomena and incidents.”

Meanwhile, Plumbly expressed his refusal to the opposition’s recent calls for the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s government, saying “I am afraid of the idea of no government in the present circumstances.”

He also categorically denied rumors that UNIFIL plans to deploy troops on Lebanon’s northern border with Syria, adding “Lebanon poses no threat to Syria,” in response to a recent statement by Syria’s ambassador to the UN Bashar Jaafari about Lebanon that based on his knowledge, according to Xinhua.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on May 17, Jaafari said that the Almustaqbal Movement and Salafists are using the north of Lebanon, including Akkar, to stockpile weapons and provide safe haven to members of the Muslim Brotherhood and Al- Qaida, who are launching hit-and-run operations in Syria. However, Plumbly said that what he saw in Akkar on his recent trip there contradicts Jaafari’s description of the region.