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Baroud backtracks on cooperation with Syria after March 14 balks
Minister insists nothing will be done without Cabinet approval
Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud”s recent visit to Syria have raised controversies over the revival of Syria”s security role in Lebanon, which forced the minister to reformulate the outcomes of his visit. Baroud said he did not "call for coordination with Syria that would be similar to what had been experienced."
"What I meant is that there is a chance to present our demands to Syria … and listen to their views," Baroud said in an interview on Wednesday.
He stressed the fact that the joint statement issued after his talks in Damascus "referred to a follow-up committee that would not proceed with its assignment unless approved by Cabinet." The March 14 Forces voiced "strong reservations" on Wednesday over the formation of security cooperation committees between Lebanon and Syria.
In a statement issued following its meeting on Wednesday, the March 14 Forces” secretariat general said: "After hearing the “explanations” presented by the interior minister on his visit to Damascus, the secretariat general voices a strong reservation over the formation of security cooperation committees between the two countries, especially in the wake of the suspicious intentions of the Syrian regime when it accused Lebanon of being behind Fatah al-Islam."
During an official visit to Syria made by the interior minister, the two neighboring countries agreed on Monday to boost border controls and anti-terrorism coordination.
Baroud and his Syrian counterpart, Bassam Abdel-Majid, agreed to set up a commission "to put into place the basis of coordination in the fight against terrorism and crime." According to a statement read out to reporters after their meeting, the commission would also be tasked with establishing a joint mechanism to police the border.
The two ministers also reviewed the "confessions" broadcast by Syrian state television last week by alleged Fatah al-Islam militants for a deadly September 27 car bombing in Damascus. In the broadcast, the militants said their organization had links to the Future Movement.
Both Future Movement leader Saad Hariri and the head of the Progressive Socialist Party, MP Walid Jumblatt, denounced the Syrian broadcast, describing it as "stories and lies."
Jumblatt warned any ministers visiting Damascus, in clear reference to Baroud”s trip to the Syrian capital, of "the importance of keeping away from the establishment of joint security committees," which he said may later develop into a justification of Syrian interference in Lebanese internal affairs.
Hariri, for his part, called Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa on Tuesday, asking him to form a fact-finding commission to investigate the case.
Baroud said Wednesday that his visit to Damascus "achieved what can be achieved to resolve security problems."
The minister told CNN that the Lebanese delegation to Syria asked the Syrian authorities to provide them with information pertaining to the televised confessions on the blast that rocked the Syrian capital in September and the alleged involvement of the Future movement.
Baroud added that his visit to Damascus had been necessary and constituted the first step to better discuss the means to mend ties with Syria. He added that collaboration was essential to resolving current problems. "How can we resolve the border issue, for example, without the presence of communication channels?" he asked.
Asked whether there was a vision on how to resolve terrorist attacks across the border, Baroud said he would not go into details: "The simple formation of a follow-up committee caused turmoil in Lebanon, so [what will happen] if we go into details?"
Asked if any progress had been made in pending issues between the two countries, he said: "The last meeting between the Lebanese and Syrian interior ministries was in 2004, so these issues cannot immediately become an achievement."
Baroud denied claims that he had put forward his own agenda during his visit to Syria, adding that his visit was official and was approved by the government.
Regarding criticism over his visit, Baroud said: "The Lebanese do not necessarily share the same opinions, but what is required is their trust in the national unity government."
Meanwhile, sources quoted by the Central News Agency said Wednesday that Reform and Change parliamentary bloc leader MP Michel Aoun was expected to make an official visit to Syria at the end of this month. The sources added that Aoun would be accompanied by a large delegation and that talks would focus on several issues, including the Lebanese detainees in Syrian prisons. The sources also said Aoun”s visit would extend over three days, during which time he would meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad. But the sources denied claims that a number of detainees would be delivered to Aoun.
Separately, 11 MPs from the March 14 Forces submitted a petition Wednesday against the naturalization of Palestinians.
The MPs included Butros Harb, Nayla Mouawad, Farid Makari, Antoine Zahra, Michel Pharaon, Solange Gemayel, Atef Majdalani, Ghazi Youssef, Serge Torsarkissian, Ammar Houri and Akram Chehayeb.
The petition called for a constitutional amendment to add a paragraph to Article 79 of the Constitution, which stipulates in its original form that when "a draft law, dealing with a constitutional amendment, is submitted to Parliament, it (Parliament) cannot discuss it or vote upon it unless a majority of two-thirds of the members are present." The March 14 petition calls for an absolute majority vote, rather than a two-thirds majority vote when it comes to issues related to the naturalization of Palestinians.
Also Wednesday, the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc held a meeting headed by MP Mohammad Raad. In a statement issued following the meeting, the bloc called for a serious discussion of the defense strategy during national dialogue sessions. It also warned against Israeli threats, especially after a pro-Israeli network was recently arrested in Lebanon.