Sunnis Want Hizbullah Apology as Security Plan for Beirut tested
Army and police patrols toured contested areas of West Beirut Sunday in an effort to defuse tension that had dominated the city and hampered efforts to form a new cabinet.
Helmeted troops manning armored personnel carriers were seen at key intersections in the districts of Ras al-Nabaa, Tarik Jedideh, and Aisha Bakkar that had been the theater for clashes between Hizbullah-led elements and partisans of the Mustaqbal Movement.
The security dragnet is to spread to include the Corniche Mazraa and Mar Elias commercial thoroughfare as well as other residential districts of west Beirut, in line with a plan adopted by the Central Security Council.
The move coincided with a call by Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri to his partisans to return to their apartments and businesses that they deserted since a Hizbullah assault on West Beirut on May 8.
However, a security source said no such return has been observed.
A senior security source told Naharnet that displaced families are apparently waiting for the new cabinet to be formed and for the security plan to be applied prior to returning to their homes.
"They are adopting a wait and see attitude. They want to make sure the security plan is being effectively applied. The more confident they are, the more they would start returning to their homes and businesses," said the source who asked not to be identified.
Meanwhile, the Higher Sharia Islamic Council, in a statement, asked Hizbullah to apologize for having used weapons against Lebanese citizens.
The apology, as outlined by the highest Sunni spiritual authority, is the necessary condition set by the community for accepting a national reconciliation in line with the Doha Accord.