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Khalil: 'It's time to get rid of militias'

Former ambassador Khalil Kazem Khalil said on Sunday the anti-armor mines placed outside a building he owned in Maarakeh are only available to military organizations and called for getting rid of such organizations, in an indirect reference to Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal Movement.

The "militias" — bands of fascisti — are why Lebanon isn't stable. Thank God the "militia movement" in the U.S. seems to have faded away after the Oklahoma City bombings. They're a recipe for anarchy.

Early Saturday morning, an anti-armor landmine exploded at the building while explosive experts dismantled four other similar mines, all Russian made. Speaking during a news conference held at his home in the presence of some 150 supporters, Khalil said: "It is time to get rid of those militias." He urged the government to prevent the hegemony of a certain category over public administrations and institutions, such as the Regie and the Council of the South, which are known to be under Berri's influence. Khalil said the building was intended to host an agricultural project that would provide job opportunities in the area for the youth. He also said that his brother Nasser has been the target of an assassination attempt during the 1992 parliamentary elections campaign.

Khalil urged authorities to assume their responsibilities and expose those who tamper with internal security. "The president, the premier and the interior minister ... have a historic responsibility at this moment, especially toward the South, the responsibility to ensure security and put an end to intimidation," Khalil said. Commenting on the electoral law, Khalil said he preferred small- or medium sized-districts over the mohafaza (large electoral districts), saying that mohafaza - called for by Berri - were aimed at "manipulating the will of the people."
Posted by: Fred 2005-01-24

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