10 held over Beirut clash as government mulls arms control

8/30/2010 07:30:42 PM

BEIRUT – Ten people have been arrested over a deadly Beirut street clash, Lebanon's army chief said in a newspaper report on Monday, ahead of government talks on tightening arms controls in the capital.

"Army operations in the area are ongoing ... and we have arrested 10 persons and not just four" as was previously reported, General Jean Kahwaji said, quoted by the Arabic-language daily As-Safir.

"What is required is that no one ignite a fire and then demand the army put it out," he said.

The August 24 clash shook the Burj Abi Haidar district of mainly Muslim west Beirut, pitting supporters of Shiite movement Hezbollah against those of Sunni group Al-Ahbash, two parties with warm ties to Damascus.

The fight, which reportedly began as a row over a parking space and escalated into a battle with automatic arms and rocket-propelled grenades, left three people dead, including Hezbollah official Mohammed Fawaz, and 11 wounded.

It again put widespread armament in Beirut in the limelight and raised fears of a repeat of May 2008, when gunmen supporting a Hezbollah-led alliance staged a takeover of west Beirut. About 100 people died in the week-long battle.

The interior and defence ministers held talks with Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday on arms controls in Beirut and a meeting was scheduled of Lebanon's top defence council for Tuesday to examine "a series of measures."

The premier's office said the council has been asked to look at "the phenomenon of the proliferation of weapons held by citizens."

Earlier, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud told As-Safir that "certain measures should be taken, at the very least to find a means to control armament within the capital.

"But disarming the resistance is not on the table, even in Beirut, as we are fully aware of the sensitivity of the situation and we can agree on a unique formula for the resistance's arms in Beirut."

Last week's clash sparked a heated exchange between Hariri's parliamentary bloc and Hezbollah, the only party not to have disarmed after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, arguing its arms are needed to defend against Israel.

"No one is above the law and the state alone is responsible for managing public affairs," Sunni leader Hariri said on Sunday night at an iftar.

"Tours of the area in Burj Abi Haidar where the clash took place only aim to further deepen division," countered Hezbollah MP Mohammed Raad, referring to the prime minister's visit to the scene last week.