Ready to answer questions on deadly Beirut blast, says Aoun
No one is above the law no mater how high up, and justice can only be achieved through the specialised judicial branches that provide guarantees, says Lebanon president
Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun told the country’s public prosecutor on Friday he was ready to give a statement about last year’s port blast in the capital Beirut if needed.
“No one is above the law no mater how high up, and justice can only be achieved through the specialised judicial branches that provide guarantees,” Aoun told prosecutor Ghassan Ouidat during a meeting, according to a statement released by the president’s office.
The Aug.4 explosion at the port, caused by a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely for years, killed over 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed large swathes of the capital.
A probe into the blast led by judge Tarek Bitar has been hindered over the past month as requests sent to parliament and the government to lit immunity and enable questioning of several top officials were either declined or stalled.
Many Lebanese are angry that nearly a year ater the incident, no senior official has yet been held responsible.
Influential parliament speaker Nabih Berri said on Thursday the legislature was ready to lit the immunity of its members to allow for questioning but did not detail when or how this would be done.
Separately, Lebanon batled rapidly spreading wildfires for a third straight day on Friday ater they destroyed pine forests and threatened homes in northern areas.
The blaze that started on Wednesday in Lebanon’s remote Akkar region “is spreading quickly over large areas,” Agriculture Minister Abbas Mortada said.
“It’s spreading in all directions” fanned by high winds, Mortada said, adding that it had reached neighbouring Syria.
The blaze, which has killed a 15-year-old volunteer firefighter and forced many people from their homes, gained pace overnight, according to the state-run National News Agency.
“The fires were out of control in the Jabal Akroum” region which straddles the border, NNA said.
“The area affected by the fire expanded significantly overnight... approaching orchards, farmland and some homes evacuated by their residents,” it said.
There is no official estimate of the size of the area affected.
The army deployed two helicopters early on Friday to help douse the flames and more local volunteers joined the firefighting effort, NNA said.
The Red Cross treated one volunteer with breathing difficulties, it added.
George Abou Moussa of Lebanon’s civil defence said firefighting teams were working to contain the blaze.
“But there are areas we can’t reach,” he said. Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) said it had adopted a legal framework for a sanctions regime targeting Lebanese individuals and entities ater a year of crisis that has let Lebanon facing financial collapse, hyperinflation and food and fuel shortages.
In a statement it said the framework provided for the possibility of imposing sanctions on those responsible for undermining democracy or the rule of law in Lebanon.
Led by France, the EU is seeking to ramp up pressure on Lebanon’s squabbling politicians, part of broader international efforts to force a stable government capable of carrying out crucial reforms to emerge from political chaos and economic collapse following a blast that ravaged Beirut port.
“It is, however, of the utmost importance that the Lebanese leadership put aside their differences and work together to form a government and enact the measures required to steer the country towards a sustainable recovery,” the EU statement said.
The EU cautioned earlier in July that the sanctions measures would not be immediately implemented.
The sanctions regime could see individuals hit by travel bans and asset freezes, although it may also decide to not list anybody immediately.
Diplomats have said targets are not likely to be decided before the end of the summer.
EU persons and entities are also forbidden from making funds available to those listed, the statement said.