March 14 Condemns Ain el-Rummaneh Knife Attack Aimed at “Inciting Strife”
The secretariat-general of the March 14 forces on Wednesday condemned the knife attack in Ain el-Rummaneh and urged the army and police to protect the Lebanese.
Following its weekly meeting, the secretariat urged the Lebanese to "be cautious against the scheme aimed at inciting strife, transferring it from one area to the other and creating a tense situation."
The statement said the army and police were responsible for providing security and protecting citizens in all areas after dozens of knife-yielding young men from Shiyah rode their bikes to a quarrel scene in the adjacent Ain el-Rummaneh neighborhood, attacking a crowd of men overnight.
George Abu Madi, 30, was killed.
Earlier Wednesday, a March 14 secretariat-general delegation discussed the Ain el-Rummaneh-Shiyah clashes with Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji.
The delegation stressed the need for taking immediate steps to "arrest the murderers and perpetrators who attacked a safe neighborhood in Ain el-Rummaneh."
On the cabinet issue, the March 14 statement said: "The quick formation of the government has become more pressing than ever."
"Lebanon”s capability to contain the repercussions of the international crisis weakens as every day goes by without a cabinet," the conferees said giving as examples the latest lay-offs in several industrial and media institutions.
Turning to regional issues, the conferees welcomed a planned visit by Saudi King Abdullah to Damascus in an attempt to unify the Arab stance.
The March 14 general-secretariat also criticized the expulsion of scores of Lebanese from the United Arab Emirates.