Lebanon president: Calls for probe into Beirut blast are effort to ‘waste time’

Lebanese President Michel Aoun yesterday described calls for an international investigation into a blast which devastated Beirut Port and killed over 150 people as an attempt to “waste time”.

“President Aoun considers the demand for an international investigation into the port issue as aimed at wasting time,” the Lebanese presidency’s office said on Twitter, adding that the Lebanese judiciary “must be swift to establish who is a criminal and who is innocent”.

مكتب الاعلام في رئاسة الجمهورية: الرئيس عون اعتبر ان المطالبة بالتحقيق الدولي في قضية المرفأ، الهدف منه تضييع الوقت، والقضاء يجب ان يكون سريعاً من دون تسرع للتأكيد من هو مجرم ومن هو بريء

— Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) August 9, 2020

Lebanese political and party leaders have been calling for an “independent international” investigation into the explosion while others called for confidence in local efforts by the judiciary.

During his visit to Lebanon days after the blast, French President Emmanuel Macron urged for “an open and transparent international investigation”.

Meanwhile, six lawmakers and the Information Minister, Manal Abdel Samad, have resigned amid growing public anger following the deadly explosion.

READ: Lebanon Maronite Patriarch calls on government to resign over Beirut blast