Is Syria behind the violence in north Lebanon?

Mufti Shaar: Foreigners behind the violence in north Lebanon

Monday, 30 June, 2008 @ 9:57 PM in Beirut

Shaar said he fears no reconciliation had taken place, adding that "foreign hands" are working to destabilize the country through the two Tripoli neighborhoods.
Heading a delegation of clergymen and politicians of Tripoli, Shaar met with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in the Grand Serail, where he asked the incumbent premier support the army in completing its peacekeeping task in Tripoli.
"We appealed to the premier to give importance to [the situation in] Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, where our brothers the Alawis are. The battle is not between Sunnis and Alawites," he added.
The mufti called for development projects in the regions affected since the onset of the civil war in 1975. "Unfortunately, we have not felt that the state allocated any productive resources to this region," he concluded.
Last week Ya Libnan reported based on Kuwaiti newspaper " Alseyassah " that Syrian officers and soldiers who were naturalized as Lebanese citizens in 1992 during the Syrian occupation had leading roles in the management of the military operations backing the "Democratic Arab Party" gunmen in Mount Mohsin, Tripoli, North Lebanon
The Alseyassah sources also revealed that over fifteen Syrian supervising officers of various ranks were directly Leading the battles.
The Alseyassah sources also pointed out that these Syrian officers are awaiting instructions to transfer to Akkar region, near the borders with Syria as another battle is planned for that area, which is a stronghold of the Future movement (al Mustaqbal) and other March 14 allies members. The nearby areas which are inhabited by Alawites ( same sect as that of the Syrian leader Bashar al Assad ) have been threatening the pro-government strongholds with imminent attacks . (Yalibnan)

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