BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea denounced Friday the approval by Lebanon's Shura Council of a controversial cement factory in the eastern town of Zahle.
“We call on all the Lebanese, every day, to maintain their trust in the state,” Geagea wrote on his Twitter account Friday. “However, unfortunately, some administrative actions totally undermine Lebanese citizens' confidence in their state.”
Geagea was referring to the “100,000 people living in Zahle and its surroundings” who he said were disappointed by the Shura Council’s preparatory decision to allow for the factory’s construction.
The council made its ruling about the project Thursday, after two appeals against the project’s license were submitted by Zahle’s municipality and its mukhtar.
The project, which was opposed over environmental and public health concerns, belongs to a company owned by Pierre Fattoush, the brother of MP Nicolas Fattoush.
The project started out as a local issue but received national attention in December when more than a dozen gunmen loyal to Pierre Fattoush assaulted an Al-Jadeed reporter and a cameraman as they were wrapping up a report about the plant.
“How can the citizen trust his state if its administration messes with his health and the health of his children, with his environment and with his interests every day?” Geagea tweeted.
“I call on Zahle’s residents to stick to their rights and undertake all the moves that the law allows to protect their city and the future of their children.”