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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Lebanese Government Developing Plan to Confront Terrorism |
| 2007-09-25 |
| Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's Government said Monday it is working out a policy to confront terrorist threats, warning opposition factions that the current approach of acquiring arms will likely lead to a civil war. Information Minister Ghazi Aradi told reporters the marathon seven-hour meeting, in which the nation's top intelligence and security officials took part, was "an important session" characterized by a "discussion in depth" of the situation. Such a discussion, he said, helps in the "forging of a policy to confront terrorist cases and all the threats directed against the country." Security officials, he said, briefed the cabinet on "available information regarding Â… cases of arming up and training" by the various factions. Aridi, in answering questions, said factions of the opposition were training on the use of weapons, while other factions, mainly private security companies, were involved in "training, but not on the use of weapons." "The government stressed on the importance of not sliding into options that had been tried by the Lebanese for years and had catastrophic results on every body," Aridi said. He stressed that "political differences between the various political factions are normal, but resorting to weapons and the logic of force Â… and threats of confrontations and wars are rejected by all." The government looks forward to "further cooperation and coordination" between the various security agencies," Aridi added. He said the government assigned the army command to "adopt all the required security arrangements to guarantee parliament security and ensure safety of MPs to carry out their duty" in electing a new president. He said Fatah al-Islam terrorist mastermind Shaker Abssi and his aides "remain at large in north Lebanon," stressing that security agencies are launching a man hunt for them. Security officials briefed the cabinet on "very important security information" obtained during interrogation of Fatah al-Islam terrorists or found in documents with the group members who tried to escape the final showdown earlier this month. Such information, Aridi explained, disclose "what such groups had been planning to carry out." He pledged that all the information pertaining to Fatah al-Islam terrorists, their plans, contacts, affiliations and financing would be revealed to the public. He did not set a date, though. |
| Posted by:Fred |