Killing of Arslan Aide a Blow to Reconciliation
Source: Al-Manar TV, 11-9-2008
A car bomb explosion late Wednesday killed the right-hand man to Druze opposition leader Talal Arslan of the Lebanese Democratic Party in the eastern town of Baisour, in the Aley area, and wounded six people, police reported. Sheik Saleh al-Aridi, in his late 40s, a member of the party's central council, was killed instantly when the bomb ripped through his Mercedes car in Baisour's square, a police official said.
The six injured who were passing by the scene were identified as Salim al-Aridi, Ghassan Zein, Ibrahim al-Aridi, Bassem Malaeb, Rami Khaddaj, and Nawal Sobh were transported to the Qabr Shmoun Hospital for treatment.
News reports said the bomb was planted under the driver's seat and detonated by remote control. The blast threw Aridi out of the car upon impact and was the first of its kind since the assassination of ISF Captain Wissam Eid in January of this year.
Security sources told daily Al-Akhbar that the explosive device was planted under the driver's seat and fixed to the car's hull with a magnet. Experts estimated its weight at around 500 grams of TNT.
The sources also told the paper that the explosive was similar to the two devices used in the assassination of former Communist party leader Georges Hawi in 2005 and the attempted assassination of media figure May Chidiac in 2006.
Following the blast, President Michel Sleiman made a series of contacts with PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt, Democratic Party Minister Talal Arslan as well as with the army commander and the Army Intelligence director, calling for "remaining alert to [foil] all conspiracies aimed at reigniting tension."
Arslan said Thursday that Aridi's assassination was aimed at sowing discord and destroying unity in the mountain. "I received the message, so did the Lebanese," Arslan told reporters in Baisour, the scene of the crime, adding, however, that the unity of the mountain is still strong.
"Unity in the mountains, which we launched hand-in-hand with Jumblatt and the Resistance master (Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah), shall continue," Arslan vowed. He also called on the Cabinet to commit the judiciary council to look into the assassination of Aridi.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Fouad Saniora denounced the crime, with Berri calling the assassination a message "against civil peace in Lebanon," while Saniora said it was an attempt "to sow division among the Lebanese."
Jumblatt visited the residence of the victim's father, Sheikh Bou Saleh Farhan Aridi, in Baisour and condemned "the hideous crime, which targeted a patriotic and national hero."
Jumblatt told the paper that he called Arslan in the immediate wake of the assassination, and they both agreed on issuing a unified position regarding the event and letting the judiciary sort things out rather than anticipating the investigation.
Meanwhile, Former Minister Wiam Wahhab told Al-Manar on Thursday that the assassination was a "crime that targets the position of Arslan, who wanted Mount Lebanon to embrace the Resistance and return it to its Arab origin." He concluded that the "Israeli" marks were obvious in the crime.
For his part, Transportation and Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi told Al-Manar that the crime targeted Lebanon's security, adding that the party behind it wanted conflict and destabilization in the country.
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar told the Voice of Lebanon radio station on Thursday morning that the assassination aimed at "trapping new allies," a reference to the reconciliation efforts between Jumblatt and Arslan, in which Aridi was a major player, since the May violence in the Chouf. He added that the killing was a blow to the efforts to calm Mount Lebanon.
WORLD CONDEMNS LEBANON BOMBING
The crime was quickly condemned by Arab and Western countries that called on Lebanese to consolidate unity.
In this context, Syria on Thursday denounced the crime as a terrorist act aimed at undermining security in its neighbor ahead of planned multi-party reconciliation talks. "Syrian firmly denounces the criminal and terrorist act which claimed the life of Saleh Aridi," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "Syria is convinced that such crimes that target security and stability in Lebanon will not achieve their objectives," it said.
For its part, Washington condemned the crime, vowing "unwavering" support for the Lebanese government. "The United States is deeply concerned about the latest violence in Lebanon," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement late Wednesday.
A car bomb explosion late Wednesday killed the right-hand man to Druze opposition leader Talal Arslan of the Lebanese Democratic Party in the eastern town of Baisour, in the Aley area, and wounded six people, police reported. Sheik Saleh al-Aridi, in his late 40s, a member of the party's central council, was killed instantly when the bomb ripped through his Mercedes car in Baisour's square, a police official said.
The six injured who were passing by the scene were identified as Salim al-Aridi, Ghassan Zein, Ibrahim al-Aridi, Bassem Malaeb, Rami Khaddaj, and Nawal Sobh were transported to the Qabr Shmoun Hospital for treatment.
News reports said the bomb was planted under the driver's seat and detonated by remote control. The blast threw Aridi out of the car upon impact and was the first of its kind since the assassination of ISF Captain Wissam Eid in January of this year.
Security sources told daily Al-Akhbar that the explosive device was planted under the driver's seat and fixed to the car's hull with a magnet. Experts estimated its weight at around 500 grams of TNT.
The sources also told the paper that the explosive was similar to the two devices used in the assassination of former Communist party leader Georges Hawi in 2005 and the attempted assassination of media figure May Chidiac in 2006.
Following the blast, President Michel Sleiman made a series of contacts with PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt, Democratic Party Minister Talal Arslan as well as with the army commander and the Army Intelligence director, calling for "remaining alert to [foil] all conspiracies aimed at reigniting tension."
Arslan said Thursday that Aridi's assassination was aimed at sowing discord and destroying unity in the mountain. "I received the message, so did the Lebanese," Arslan told reporters in Baisour, the scene of the crime, adding, however, that the unity of the mountain is still strong.
"Unity in the mountains, which we launched hand-in-hand with Jumblatt and the Resistance master (Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah), shall continue," Arslan vowed. He also called on the Cabinet to commit the judiciary council to look into the assassination of Aridi.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Fouad Saniora denounced the crime, with Berri calling the assassination a message "against civil peace in Lebanon," while Saniora said it was an attempt "to sow division among the Lebanese."
Jumblatt visited the residence of the victim's father, Sheikh Bou Saleh Farhan Aridi, in Baisour and condemned "the hideous crime, which targeted a patriotic and national hero."
Jumblatt told the paper that he called Arslan in the immediate wake of the assassination, and they both agreed on issuing a unified position regarding the event and letting the judiciary sort things out rather than anticipating the investigation.
Meanwhile, Former Minister Wiam Wahhab told Al-Manar on Thursday that the assassination was a "crime that targets the position of Arslan, who wanted Mount Lebanon to embrace the Resistance and return it to its Arab origin." He concluded that the "Israeli" marks were obvious in the crime.
For his part, Transportation and Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi told Al-Manar that the crime targeted Lebanon's security, adding that the party behind it wanted conflict and destabilization in the country.
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar told the Voice of Lebanon radio station on Thursday morning that the assassination aimed at "trapping new allies," a reference to the reconciliation efforts between Jumblatt and Arslan, in which Aridi was a major player, since the May violence in the Chouf. He added that the killing was a blow to the efforts to calm Mount Lebanon.
WORLD CONDEMNS LEBANON BOMBING
The crime was quickly condemned by Arab and Western countries that called on Lebanese to consolidate unity.
In this context, Syria on Thursday denounced the crime as a terrorist act aimed at undermining security in its neighbor ahead of planned multi-party reconciliation talks. "Syrian firmly denounces the criminal and terrorist act which claimed the life of Saleh Aridi," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "Syria is convinced that such crimes that target security and stability in Lebanon will not achieve their objectives," it said.
For its part, Washington condemned the crime, vowing "unwavering" support for the Lebanese government. "The United States is deeply concerned about the latest violence in Lebanon," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement late Wednesday.
