Berri labels Tripoli violence as 'futile', says Parliament entitled to maintain activity during caretaker cabinet's term

Speaker Nabih Berri labeled the ongoing Tripoli violence as 'futile', noting that none of the local factions has the intention to revive the civil war and "repeat the the black and deadly experiences that all of them have witnessed".

In remarks published in local newspapers, Berri expected ambulant security breaches to remain under control, dismissing the possibility of turning into a large-scale sectarian confrontation.

The speaker stressed that the fighting between rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen should stop as soon as possible "because no one will benefit from it."

Berri refused to comment on the latest remarks made by head of al-Mustaqbal bloc, MP Fouad Siniora, who warned against attempts to establish a parliamentary system that would control the country and consolidate its grip over it.

Instead, Berri stressed that the parliament is the linchpin of all other constitutional institutions, pointing out that it's entitled to convene and maintatin its legislative activity even during a caretaker government's term.

"For my part, I'm very keen on not neglecting the country's National Pact while others failed to abide by it when ministers belonging to a certain sect had resigned," he said.