March 14 MP slams cabinet’s stance over Syria’s violations

March 14 MP Mohammad al-Hajjar condemned the cabinet’s “weak” position over the violations of the territorial integrity of Lebanon by the Syrian army and accused it of being incapable of taking any measures to protect the Lebanese people.

In an interview with Kuwaiti newspaper As-Seyassah published on Sunday Hajjar said the Syrian regime “must know its limits and act within them,” in reference to Syrian army’s violation of Lebanese territories.

He also said that the Lebanese army “is ready to cooperate” with the Syrian army in a manner that preserves both countries’ sovereignty.

Lebanon’s Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn tried to justify Syrian army violations of Lebanese territories on Thursday by saying :” Those complaining about the Syrian move should be reminded about the daily Israeli land, maritime and airspace violations.”

Ghosn also tried to justify the killing of Syrian nationals by the Syrian troops inside Lebanon by saying that unlike the US, Lebanon does not support the opposition in Syria.

Ghosn represents president Michel Suleiman in the cabinet !

Syrian troops entered Lebanese territory on Thursday and shot dead a Syrian national living in a remote border area of the eastern Bekaa region, a security official told AFP.

Another Syrian patrol crossed the Lebanese borders, but this time in the North which triggered panic among residents.

According to As-Sharq al-Awsat newspapers Thursday edition, “around ten Syrian soldiers entered the Lebanese territory in the northern town of Halwas and patrolled the area on Wednesday.”

The daily quoted an unnamed local resident as saying that “the people are scared of the behavior of Syrian soldiers.”

This incident follows another in the Bekaa , which took place on Tuesday. Syrian army tanks crossed the Lebanese border near the town of Arsal and fired several gunshots within Lebanese territory.

Media outlets reported that the tanks fired in the direction of a battery factory in Aarsal, adding that the Syrian troops suspected fleeing gunmen had taken refuge in the building.

The Lebanese army has until now maintained complete silence about all the border violations by the Syrian army

Thousands of Syrians have fled into Lebanon in recent months, often using illegal border crossings, to flee the unrest gripping their country.

According to the United Nations, the Syrian regime’s crackdown on protests that erupted in mid-March has killed more than 2,900 people.

Warns Aoun

Hajjar also slammed Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun’s stance over defending the Syrian regime, and said that Aoun’s statements “contradict his previous speeches on sovereignty and independence.”

“We warn Aoun of continuing this way because it subjects the country to great threats.”