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Lebanon calls for support for army to counter Syria fallout | ||||
2014-03-25 | ||||
Lebanonâs foreign minister called on Arab countries on Monday to support the Lebanese army to counter fallout from Syriaâs civil war, which he said threatened to tear the country apart. Around 1 million Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon, a displacement that has strained public infrastructure and threatened to upset the sectarian balance. This âis threatening the existence of Lebanonâ, Gebran Bassil told reporters before a meeting of Arab League leaders in Kuwait on Tuesday. âThis would create a danger also to the whole (of) humanity, because if the Lebanese model would vanish, then a big clash is to be expected between civilisations, religions and all aspects or differences in the world,â he said, speaking English.
Bassil, who became foreign minister in a cabinet formed last month, said a preparatory meeting with his Arab counterparts on Sunday discussed Syriaâs conflict, now in its fourth year, the refugees and support for the Lebanese army. âWe hope that these decisions will be translated into reality by direct and tangible help and aid to Lebanon in backing the army, because the army of Lebanon is fighting terrorism for all the Arabs and all the world,â he said. Bassil said the only way to protect Lebanon and its borders was to give additional support to the army. Saudi Arabia donated $3 billion to the army in December for upgrades and asked France to supply weapons using a large proportion of these funds.
Lebanon is already home to large camps for displaced Palestinians where state authority does not fully extend. Many Lebanese trace the origins of their own civil war to militarisation in the camps in the 1970s.
In a video posted online this week, influential Lebanese Sunni militant leader and cleric Ahmad Al Assir called for Sunnis to defect from the army. | ||||
Posted by:Steve White |