Dar el Fatwa: We strongly reject the content of al-Jaafari's letter

The Council of Muftis strongly rejected the content of the letter of Syria's permanent Envoy to the U.N. on Monday, calling on the Lebanese authorities to take this message into consideration when addressing security breaches.  

Dar el Fatwa's statement urged security apparatuses to work under the supervision of the political authority and to control the recent breach of security, mainly the recent incidents in Tripoli and Akkar.    

The statement also called on Akkar residents to exercise self-restrain to foil attempts to defeat the army.      

The statement, read by Sheikh Mohmmad Ali Jouzou, also called for deferring the al-Wahed case to the judicial council.

It was reported that former PM Fouad Siniora was absent from the meeting after the three conditions he earlier requested to be included in the final statement were not met.  

Sources close to Siniora told LBCI that, Siniora requested that the final statement express a clear position adopted by Dar al-Fatwa on the message sent by Syria's permanent Envoy to the UN Bashar al-Jaafari to UN chief Ban Ki-Moon given that "it harmed Lebanon’s stability" as well as a clear position on attempts by some internal parties to "plunge the country into tension."  

Siniora also urged that the statement clearly express that the authority is shouldering its responsibility towards security apparatuses after the disruption that occurred in Tripoli and Akkar.

A closed-door meeting was earlier held between Mufti of the Republic sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani, Mikati and the head of the army intelligence, Brigadier General Edmond Fadel.   

LBCI learnt that Fadel relayed a message by the army commander to Mufti Qabbani