MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th August, 2020) Lebanese President Michel Aoun has called demands for an international investigation of the recent explosion in Beirut a waste of time, his office announced on Sunday.
Earlier in the week, Al-Mustaqbal political party, which opposes the current government, called for inviting international experts to look into the explosion.
"President Aoun thinks that the aim of demands for an international investigation of [the explosion] in the port is to waste time. The judicial process has to be quick but not rushed in order to determine who is a criminal and who is innocent," the office said in a statement.
On Tuesday, a powerful explosion occurred at the port of Beirut, killing at least 158 people and injuring over 6,000, per the latest estimates. According to the authorities, the explosion was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, confiscated by the customs services in 2014. Protests have sprung up after the explosion calling for the current government to resign.
