BEIRUT: A long-delayed security plan for the northeastern Bekaa Valley will likely be implemented by the end of the week by a joint force of the Army, Internal Security forces and General Security, according to Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk.
In comments published Tuesday in pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat Machnouk said the plan for the Baalbek-Hermel area "is ready and would be implemented in the coming few days, probably at the weekend, by a joint force of 1,000 troops backed by 500 members of police and general security.”
Machnouk pointed out that a security plan for Beirut and its southern suburbs, where Hezbollah enjoys wide support, will follow, stressing that “there will be no (safe) place for those who meddle with the country’s security and stability.”
The Future Movement minister said the situation in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh in Sidon will be the next main security issue on the security agenda.
“It is no longer acceptable for it (the camp) to remain a safe haven for outlaws, especially those connected with terrorist groups,” Machnouk said.
Commenting on the ongoing dialogue between arch rivals Future Movement and Hezbollah, Machnouk noted that an agreement to remove political banners and posters from Beirut, Tripoli and Sidon, in addition to the airport highway, was irreversible.
He said the move “helped defuse sectarian tensions, which remains the key objective of the dialogue.”
Machnouk also emphasized that the fate of the “Resistance Brigades,” a Hezbollah-backed non-Shiite armed group based in Sidon, is a key item on the dialogue agenda.
“There is no reason for the Brigades’ existence and deployment in Beirut and other regions. I believe it is harming (Hezbollah) more than benefiting it,” Machnouk said, refuting arguments that it provided a Sunni cover for Hezbollah’s armed wing.
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