The decision as to whether or not to request Russian assistance in the investigation of last year’s explosion in the port of Beirut is in the hands of the Lebanese judicial authorities. Prime Minister of the republic Najib Mikati told Kommersant.
“If the judiciary decides that it wants to request additional information from the outside, we will have no objection. We all want to get to the bottom of the truth and find out the truth, ”he stressed.
Last week, during a plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Lebanese political scientist Raghida Dergam asked Russian President Vladimir Putin whether Russia was ready to share satellite images to help investigate the causes of the port explosions, and also asked him to assess Hezbollah’s position on this trial. “To be honest, I don’t really understand how some kind of space images can help, do we have them? But I promise you: of course, I will make inquiries, and if we have it and we are able to assist in the investigation, we will. I first need to talk with colleagues who may have such information, ”Vladimir Putin replied. He also said that “Hezbollah is a serious political force” in Lebanon, although Russia knows that it is treated differently in different countries. “But, without any doubt, we always speak out, including in relation to Lebanon, for the resolution of any conflicts through dialogue,” the President of the Russian Federation stressed.
An explosion in the port of Beirut on 4 August 2020 killed more than 200 people and injured thousands. The blast wave destroyed a large number of buildings, knocked out windows and doors. The explosion was caused by 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse and confiscated by customs in 2014. The cargo arrived in Lebanon on a ship that belonged to businessman Igor Grechushkin from Khabarovsk. The captain was Russian Boris Prokoshev. The second Lebanese judge, Tarek Bitar, is already investigating the case of the explosion. A number of Lebanese politicians, including representatives of the Shiite movement Hezbollah, are demanding the judge’s resignation, accusing him of politicizing the process. The divisions in Lebanese society eventually led to shooting in the streets of Beirut two weeks ago. Seven people were killed, about 30 were injured.
Mr. Mikati assured Kommersant that the shooting in Beirut is an isolated incident and cannot be regarded as the beginning of a civil war. “It happened and, God forbid, it ended. The Lebanese army has stopped the aggravation of the security situation, ”the politician added. He is confident: “The Lebanese have learned from the civil war (1975-1990. – “B”), which caused enormous damage to Lebanon: both society and economy. There is no Lebanese who would like to survive the civil war again, no one is ready to sacrifice their lives, realizing that this will not lead to anything good. “
About the situation in Lebanon – in the material “Kommersant” “Border confrontation”.
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