Berri warns sectarian strife could engulf Lebanon

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned in remarks published Sunday that Muslim sectarian strife in parts of Lebanon could engulf the entire country, but expressed confidence that the National Dialogue scheduled for Monday will ease tensions. In an interview with Saudi daily Okaz, Berri, who is also the head of the Amal movement, said: “The scheme [in the region] is to create dissension between Muslims themselves and this issue might be bearable in some countries but Lebanon cannot tolerate it.” “Lebanon is a country of 18 minority groups; a single [instance of] strife could engulf all of Lebanon particularly if it is between Muslims,” he added. Berri’s remarks come after two separate clashes in Tripoli last month between supporters and opponents of President Bashar Assad claimed the lives of at least 24 people and wounded over 100, sparking fears of a spike in sectarian tensions across the country. Following the clashes, President Michel Sleiman renewed his call for the resumption of the National Dialogue, scheduled to restart June 11. Berri touted the Dialogue’s ability to bridge the gap between the Lebanese. “Simply by holding the dialogue session on schedule, the situation will change 50 percent and the rest will change according to the results,” said Berri, who also urged fellow politicians, particularly Muslim ones, to rid themselves of “selfishness” and sectarianism. Berri, who seconded Sleiman’s call for dialogue last year, also said that fear of provoking strife prevented parliament from pressuring the March 8-led Cabinet to begin offshore drilling for oil and natural gas. “If it hadn’t been for fear of strife, we would have taken a tougher stance against the government regarding the oil issue,” he said, adding that the Cabinet has been negligent and made little progress in finalizing the process. Nevertheless, the speaker stressed the importance of exploiting offshore natural resources, saying they would aid Lebanon in paying off its debt of $58 trillion. Berri also warned that any sectarian conflict in Syria could seep into Lebanon, which he described as geographically besieged given that it borders Israel and the crisis in Syria. “We have suffered economically,” he said. The speaker also justified Lebanon’s policy of disassociating itself from the situation in Syria, saying: “We disassociated ourselves, which some explained as our being opposed to the Syrian people and supportive of the regime, which is incorrect.” As for the case of missing Imam Musa Sadr, who disappeared while on a visit to Libya in 1978, Berri called on the Saudi king to assist Lebanon in securing information from two Libyan officials whom Berri believes have information about the Shiite sheikh; Saif al-Islam and former head of Libyan intelligence Abdullah al-Sanousi.