Siniora: All kinds of violations in Sidon are unacceptable

A meeting was held on Friday at the Grand Serail in the presence of Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Head of the Future Bloc Fouad Siniora, MP Bahia Hariri, Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander Jean Kahwagi, LAF Director of Intelligence Brigadier General Edmond Fadel as well as Sidon's high-ranking figures.         

In this regard, Mikati stressed that all attacks against the army are unacceptable, calling on the Army Command to address complaints raised in Sidon. 
                    
Mikati also called on the Army Command to immediately put an end to all violations, urging all the Lebanese people to trust the military institution.   
                                            
"The assailants who attacked the LAF should be brought to justice but there are innocent people who are not involved in the incidents," Mikati added. 
                  
Following the meeting, Siniora said that LAF martyrs are martyrs of the entire nation, rejecting any attack on the military institution.                   

Siniora added that General Jean Kahwagi and Brigadier General Edmond Fadel are keen on the implications of Sidon’s incidents, stressing that all kinds of violations in the coastal city are unacceptable.       

Siniora rejected raising any flag in Sidon except that of Lebanon, expressing his hope that the city becomes a stable region free of weapons, and under the control of the army.            

Fighting in Sidon city began Sunday after troops arrested a follower of Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir. The army says the cleric's supporters opened fire without provocation on an army checkpoint.                  

Official reports said at least 17 soldiers were killed and 50 were wounded in the fighting while more than 20 of al-Assir's supporters died in the battle, according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to reporters.                   

Al-Assir is a virulent critic of the powerful Shiite group Hezbollah group, which along with its allies dominates Lebanon's government.