Gemayel condemns attack on Greek Orthodox Church

16/11/2011

Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel condemned on Wednesday what happened to the Greek Orthodox Church for the Archdiocese of Beirut which was vandalized by unknown assailants on Tuesday night, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Gemayel called on Lebanon’s government to “guard religious institutions and centers which serve as symbols of Lebanon.” Gemayel was speaking following a meeting with Tunisian ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Fawzi Ballout.

Unidentified attackers broke into the Greek Orthodox Church for the Archdiocese of Beirut on Tuesday. According to NNA , the perpetrators stole items that belonged to the church after destroying its doors.

Regarding the recent arrest of five brothers suspected of involvement in 11 murder cases in Lebanon, Gemayel hailed the efforts made by the security forces to detain the gang “that committed all those crimes.”

Gemayel said that the gang’s objectives could have been “motivated by intelligence,” adding that the crimes might have been committed not only for material gains.

The leader also said that the murders could have been seeking “to sow strife and fear.”

Gemayel added that such crimes serve as a message “not only for the [security authorities] since all [ Lebanese] are concerned with maintaining stability in the country, which is facing the repercussions of [the developments] in the Arab world and Syria.”

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel gave a press conference Tuesday on the arrest of five brothers suspected of being serial killers.

Charbel said that the 11 murdered victims include Syrian and Iranian nationals as well as a woman identified as Malkeh Tawfik.

Gemayel also renounced the recent blasts in Tyre that took place early Wednesday, saying that “some local political parties in the south are concerned with the attacks that targeted a number of places.”

The Kataeb leader added that “what is more dangerous is that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is also concerned with what happened in Tyre, because [the blasts] took place in an area where the international troops are present.”

Gemayel said that the attacks targeting the international forces in southern Lebanon are increasing “and this a new change in the course of Lebanese politics.”

Two bombs targeting a nightclub and a liquor store exploded early Wednesday in the Lebanese city of Tyre, one of the few areas of the conservative South where alcohol is available.

There were no casualties in the 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) blasts, but they caused severe damage to property, a security official told AFP.

-NOW Lebanon

Source: