21/12/2009 A few hours following the 'historic' visit paid by Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri to the Syrian capital Damascus, Lebanon turned to be the 'scene' of a 'suspicious crime' against a bus carrying Syrian laborers.
Indeed, Lebanese were surprised on Monday morning with the "urgent news" about an attack against a Syrian bus that took place on the heels of a landmark visit to Damascus by Lebanon's premier.
According to security sources, shots were fired at a bus carrying Syrian workers in northern Lebanon, killing one of them. The shooting took place at 3:00 am (01:00 GMT) near the northern port city of Tripoli.
Investigators identified the victim as a 17-year-old laborer. Three other people were wounded by flying glass on board the bus which was carrying 25 Syrian laborers, a security official told AFP.
Investigators believe only one shooter was involved in the incident which occurred as the bus was travelling near an army checkpoint along the main highway between Syria and northern Lebanon, the official said.
Syria, which has thousands of laborers working in Lebanon, denounced the incident as "criminal" and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice.
In this context, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem described the attack as a "criminal" act in a telephone call to his Lebanese counterpart Ali Chami, the Syrian state-run news agency SANA reported.
Moallem also asked Chami "to inform Syria, without delay, of the results of the investigation, the identity of the attackers and who is behind them," SANA said.
The Syrian FM was also quoted as saying that the attack was a message carried by those who were hurt by Hariri's "successful" visit to Damascus.
The Lebanese army, meanwhile, secured the site of the attack located near open fields in Deir Ammar district about five kilometers (three miles) north of Tripoli.
"What happened is not just a simple incident ... I think somebody is trying to create strife and disturb Hariri's political direction," Ahmed Fatfat, a member of parliament from Hariri's bloc, told Lebanese TV channel LBC.
Ahmed Eid, the mayor of Deir Ammar, denounced the incident. "This could be an isolated incident but there are some who will try to take political advantage from it," Eid said.
NASRALLAH TO AL-MANAR: CRIMINALS ARE REJECTING GOOD RELATIONS WITH SYRIA
Lebanese political analyst Rafiq Nasrallah told Al-Manar website that the attack was a 'clear message.'
According to Nasrallah, the message is simply "no for good relations with Syria." He said that the attack was a new indication from some forces seeking to tell Lebanese that they are able to "translate" their opposition on the ground.
The Lebanese political analyst warned that these forces were seeking to obstruct the positive impact of Hariri's visit to Damascus. He said that they were seeking to break down internal consensus and reject 'special' relations between Syria and Lebanon.
Nasrallah urged the Lebanese government to accelerate investigations and bring those behind the crime to justice as soon as possible. "Those criminals are even more dangerous than the spying cells working to serve the Israeli enemy," he said.
Yet, Nasrallah said that the side behind the attack wouldn't be able to achieve its goals and strain again the relation between Lebanon and Syria.
Uprooted Palestinian
No comments:
Post a Comment