Assir to LBCI: we consider changing the venue of the sit-in

Imam of the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque in Sidon, Sheikh Ahmad Assir, declared on Sunday that he is considering changing the location of the sit-in which has been held by his supporters since last Thursday to call for the removal of all extra-state arms.

Assir is looking into moving the sit-in from Sidon to another place in order to put an end to the damages caused to the economic institutions in the city.                      
Assir told LBCI that the promise he gave to Sidon’s businessmen is “to look into the possibility of changing the setting of the sit-in, not to change ‘it’.                  
Separately, Assir denied having announced that Sunday will be “the day of great pain”, stressing that this is just “media analysis”.                                 

For his part, the head of the Arab Movement Shaker al-Berjawi told LBCI that he postponed the movement set against Assir’s sit-in, after the Republic’s Mufti asked him to do so. In this context, sources told LBCI that Sidon’s businessmen signed a petition, calling on Assir to end the sit-in which has negatively affected the city’s economy.                       

LBCI sources also confirmed that a meeting had taken place in MP Mohammad Kabbara’s house in the presence MP’s Khaled Daher, Moin Merhebi and a number of Sheikhs to discuss a solution for  Assir’s sit-in.                    

According to preliminary information, the statement released by the end of the meeting reiterated the same stances agreed upon in previous meetings held in those regards.                              

For his part, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel called the delegation at the meeting and transferred the message of Lebanese President Michel Sleiman who stated that the topic of extra state arms will be the first subject tackled in the next round of national talks on the 24th of July. Charbel added Sleimen’s refusal to resort to violence in solving this dilemma.                       

For his part, Sheikh Omar Bakri Fostok stated through LBCI his ongoing support for Assir’s demonstration adding that he also supports moving the location of the demonstration. 

Subsequenty the Nasserite Popular Organization headed by Osama Saad in Sidon distributed leaflets attacking Al-Assir’s appeal for the disarmament of the resistance.