After nearly a month, al-Assir lifts his sit-in

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and the Imam of the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir announced on Wednesday evening that the sit-in held by al-Assir in Sidon for about a month has been lifted. These statements came after an agreement was reached in this regard.   

Live from Sidon, Charbel said that al-Assir began removing the sit-in that is expected to be lifted completely by tomorrow morning. Charbel added that he witnessed, along with PM Najib Miakti, the serious efforts exerted by all participants in the dialogue to tackle main pending issues.      

For his part, al-Assir thanked President Michel Sleiman, PM Najib Mikati, Minister Charbel, some Palestinian leaders and all those who supported him in his quest to address the issue of weapons. He kindly asked Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and House Speaker Nabih Berri to live together in peace without non-state weapons.   

According to information made available to LBCI, the agreement reached to lift Sidon’s sit-in includes, among others, a pledge to discuss the defense strategy and guarantee the safety of Sheikh al-Assir and his partisans. It also includes a commitment to resolve the issue of Islamist detainees and take the necessary security measures around the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque.