Northern Lebanon clashes kill three (Roundup)

Beirut - At least three people were killed and more than 20 wounded in sectarian clashes that raged in northern Lebanon Friday, police said. Residents fled the fighting between the Sunni Muslim Bab Tabbaneh and the Alawite Jabal Mohsen districts of Tripoli. One soldier was seriously wounded, a military source said, adding that more troops had deployed in the area. The clashes started at dawn and eased off by the end of the day. The rival sides used rocket-propelled grenades, and police said one grenade hit a mosque in Bab al-Tabbneh. Roads leading to the two areas remained deserted. Police said three grenades exploded overnight in Tripoli despite a reinforced army presence. Gunmen from both sides were then seen taking positions for the first time since army troops had deployed in mid-July, pledging a tough response to any security breach. Repeated clashes between the two areas have left 14 people dead and more than 100 wounded since June. Bab al-Tabbaneh is a stronghold of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority while the inhabitants of Jabal Mohsen are mainly supporters of the Hezbollah-led opposition. The latest fighting came as the newly-formed cabinet struggles to reach a consensus on a policy statement ahead of a parliamentary vote of confidence which would enable the government to be officially installed. The cabinet decided on Thursday night to postpone talks on the thorny issue of Hezbollah's arms. Hezbollah was the only group that did not have to hand over its weapons to the government following the 1989 Saudi-brokered Taif agreement which ended the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war because it was fighting the Israeli occupation of south Lebanon. Israel pulled its troops out of Lebanon in 2000. UN Resolution 1559, adopted in 2004, called among other things for the 'disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias.' UN Resolution 1701, which brought an end to the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, called for there to be 'no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese state.'