Lebanese PM downplays charges of neglect over Beirut blast

On Friday, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said the charges pressed on him and other ministers by the court constitute a clear and flagrant constitutional breach as heads of government only appear before a special court formed by parliament.

Beirut:Charges pressed by a Lebanese judge against caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former Ministers for their neglect over the massive August 4 Port of Beirut blasts have been rejected by the government and the establishment.

All the indicted officials, including former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and former Transportation and Public Works Ministers Ghazi Zeaiter and Youssef Fenianos, are expected to be questioned on the case by next week reports Xinhua news agency.

"Families of the victims have the right to know the truth. It is their right to know who brought this ship to Beirut's port and who covered its presence in the country.

"But it is not acceptable to violate the constitution," Hariri said after his meeting with Diab.

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian and former Prime Minister Tamam Salam echoed Hariri's opinion that this legal attack against the position of Prime Minister is "unacceptable".

The caretaker Prime Minister's Office had announced a day earlier that Diab "has a clear conscience and he is confident of his transparent approach in handling the Beirut port's explosion issue".

Read:|Judge charges caretaker PM in Beirut port blast

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Zeaiter said he has documents proving that he did not know about the entry of the vessel carrying the ammonium nitrate to Lebanon until he received from the Russian embassy a letter about it.

The former minister added that he transferred the letter to the Land and Maritime Transport Directorate but did not get any feedback.

Meanwhile, Khalil, also a top aide to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, said he had no role in the case as the former head of the finance ministry.

On Friday, Hezbollah called on Judge Fadi Sawanto reconsider his decision that "lacks a legal and constitutional basis".

About 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded at the Port on August 4, killing about 190 people, wounding at least 6,000 others and leaving 300,000 homeless.

Experts have said that this was one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions in history.

IANS

Read:|Lebanese army finds tons of ammonium nitrate in Beirut