Saniora Urges Opposition to Contain Unrest

Prime Minister Fouad Saniora urged the opposition to contain unrest which broke out Monday night in Beirut when angry protesters clashed with army soldiers allegedly over power cuts.

 

He called on Hizbullah, Amal, and the Free Patriotic Movement “to resolve the political problems through dialogue,” Saniora said.

 

“The Lebanese are too smart to fall for this,” he said of Monday night”s protests, hinting that they were carried out under the pretext of economic hardships.

 

“Such actions have been tried before and have only worsened conditions, increased incitement and threatened with sedition,” Saniora said.

He stressed that all issues can be resolved had the warring parties trusted one another and move to elect a new president.

 

The worst violence occurred a year ago, in gunfights and rioting between Shiites and Sunnis at a university cafeteria that left four people dead. That incident prompted the army to declare Beirut”s first curfew since 1996.

 

Last month, security forces broke up another Shiite-Sunni student fight at another university campus, after insults were traded on the popular Internet hangout, Facebook.

 

And at least 25 people were injured last summer when Hizbullah supporters and Al Moustaqbal followers fought with sticks and stones in villages near the eastern city of Baalbek.