MUSTAQBAL BLOC WARNS AGAINST PROGRAMMED ARMING UP BY MARCH 8 FACTION

Naharnet
Feb 2 2009
Lebanon

The Mustaqbal Parliamentary Bloc on Monday accused unnamed factions
of the March 8 alliance of "programmed distribution of weapons to
its partisans in the Bekaa and the north."

The Bloc, after a meeting presided over by its chairman Saad Hariri,
said such practices "spark serious fears and raise concerns about
schemes to pressure citizens and intimidate them with the aim of
influencing developments related to the forthcoming elections to
prevent voters from freely electing their representatives."

The statement also criticized the gunfire attack on Hrag Akian,
a founding member of the Free Lebanese Armenian Movement (FLAM),
saying it was "in line with intimidation campaigns related to the
forthcoming elections."

It called for high turnout at a rally scheduled for Feb. 14 to mark
the fourth anniversary of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination.