Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Tuesday that any divergence from coexistence in Lebanon would lead to the country’s collapse.
“I reaffirm the unity of Muslims, that this is a country of coexistence, and that any slide into another stance will lead to the disintegration of Lebanon,” Hariri told reporters as he visited Dar al-Fatwa.
His comments come after Lebanon witnessed violent internecine clashes Saturday that threatened to tip the country toward civil war.
On possible Shiite-Sunni tensions, Hariri said that there were “no problems” between him and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the most senior Shiite politician within Lebanon’s governing apparatus.
“Political leaders must know that sects have fundamental sensitivities, and I think they demonstrated that through their statements,” Hariri said of politicians’ condemnations of the clashes.
He sought to distance the perpetrators of the violence from any of the political parties or groups, saying “we know that some people are infiltrators and want blood to be spilt and for there to be problems in the country.”
This article has been adapted from its original source.
