Protests draining Lebanon army, says general

LEBANON’S army commander warned the government that Beirut’s daily protests were dangerously draining military resources.

Yesterday scores of Shi’ites mourned the death of a man in a riot that reflected the country’s political tensions.

The comments by General Michel Suleiman showed that the military was concerned that the political crisis between the pro-Western prime minister, a Sunni Muslim, and the pro-Syrian opposition, led by Shi’ites, is approaching dangerous levels.

“The absence of political solutions, along with the recurrence of security incidents, particularly those with a sectarian tinge, drains the army’s resources and weakens its neutrality,” he said. “This weakness will make the army unable to control the situation in all areas of Lebanon.”

Suleiman’s remarks were exceptional in that army officers are not allowed to make political statements. A senior military official declined to confirm or deny Suleiman’s quotes but the army issued no statement to rebut the reported comments.