BEIRUT: Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud Baroud on Monday defended his ministry’s decision to ban the use of motorcycles in the wake of a spate of security incidents involving the vehicles. As of Wednesday, it will be illegal to use a motorcycle from 6:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. The ministry’s move to implement the ban came after one man was stabbed to death and four others injured in an altercation involving motorcycles in the Beirut suburb of Ain al-Remmaneh.
On Monday, State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza transferred the ten detainees involved in the Ain al-Remmaneh incident to the office of the Prosecutor General of the Court of Appeals in Mount Lebanon.
Baroud insisted during a news conference that the ban should be enforced and spoke of his hope that members of the public would assist Internal Security Forces in dealing with any breaches.
He said the outlawing of motorcycles at night was not aimed at limiting security violations but rather sought to “maintain stability.”
Baroud called upon motorcycle owners to register their vehicles – at a cost of more than $150 – “because any bike without registered papers will be suspected” and announced the launch of a hotline for citizens to report any ban breaches.
“The ministry doesn’t want to stop motorcycles; it only wants to control them,” he said.
In an interview Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas published on Monday, Baroud said Lebanese politicians are unable to make crucial decisions because they are still influenced by history.
Baroud expressed his regret that domestic issues were not always contained within Lebanon’s borders.
He said fundamental decisions such as electing the president and forming the government still bore historic connotations and were a product of fractious relations between Lebanon and other Arab countries.
He added that the first government formed in Lebanon without foreign intervention was that of 2005.
“We are now in the process of forming the government and I admit with deep regret that Lebanon needs Arab and international intervention to accomplish this task, noting that this intervention should be a positive one,” he said.
As for the issue of appointing the ministerial portfolios, Baroud explained that in every country some portfolios are considered to be more important than others. Nonetheless, he considered managing a Lebanese ministry to be “a burden and a double responsibility.” He added that President Michel Sleiman’s choice to appoint him Interior Minister was aimed at making the ministry impartial.
“The president seeks creating a political balance when he asks for a minister to be appointed,” he said.
When asked if he would preside over the Interior Ministry for a second term, Baroud indicated it was a decision for the president. “He put his trust in me from the beginning and I tried to live up to the challenge and perform my duties,” he said.
Baroud added that the Constitution guaranteed the president and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri a say in ongoing cabinet formation.
He noted, however, that “public service can be exercised from any position and not just through a ministerial portfolio.”
In other security news, the Lebanese Army in collaboration with Palestinian factions arrested late Sunday night two young men who had earlier in the day tossed a Molotov cocktail at a Lebanese Army checkpoint at the entrance of the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, located on the outskirts of the southern port city of Sidon.
Separately, the mainstream Fatah movement accused Islamist group Jund al-Sham of carrying out an assassination attempt against one of its top leaders at Ain al-Hilweh.
As-Safir newspaper, which carried the report on Monday, said that a Jund al-Sham militant opened fire on the Fatah official on Sunday night. However, the man escaped unharmed.
After the alleged killing attempt, the two groups exchanged gunfire, according to the report.
Adding to the As-Safir report, Al-Liwaa newspaper said Fatah official Khaled Mashoul was near the Jalloul gas station when gunshots were fired in his direction.
However, he managed to jump from his motorbike and escaped unharmed, it said.
Al-Liwaa added that the gas station lies in an area outside the control of the Army and Palestinian factions. – The Daily Star, with additional reporting by Mohammed Zaatari
Listen to the Article 
Printable Version 
Send to a friend 