During an interview with al Jazeera following his meeting with Suleiman Jumblatt said he shares Hezbollah’s concerns over STL.
President Michel Suleiman met on Thursday with Democratic Gathering leader MP Walid Jumblat as part of consultations with heads of parliamentary blocs in an effort to calm the situation in Lebanon following the speech last Friday of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in which he called the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) an” Israeli project” that aims at targeting the party and inciting sectarian strife in Lebanon.
Suleiman is urging the officials to adopt calm political rhetoric to keep stability during the tourism season.
Jumblatt told Al Jazeera that the reports published by a high-ranking Hezbollah official expressing fear from Sunni fundamentalism in case Hezbollah was accused of assassinating former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri are correct.
Jumblatt said Nasrallah is concerned with the leaks which revealed that Hezbollah might be indicted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) .
Jumblatt said : “I have told Nasrallah that I share his views and fears ”
Jumblatt added: ” The best gift we can present Israel is voluntarily falling in the trap of continuing the public disputes. Some figures are heedlessly setting people against each other.”
Jumblatt praised the Suleiman’s effort in calming the situation:
“The president’s role is excellent and he believes in tackling issues in a calm method, away from the media,” he said
Jumblatt criticized Lebanese Forces’ leader Samir Geagea:
“Geagea is one of the figures who has made irresponsible statements and issuing them simultaneously with those of the Israeli chief of staff. This is strange because internal strife is the U.S. and Israel’s ideal instrument to destroy Lebanon”, he said.
A report in the As Safir newspaper on Tuesday revealed that the STL will be issuing at least two rounds of the indictments starting from next September and around the end of this year. In the first round prosecutor Daniel Bellemare will reportedly indict three to five members of Hezbollah and in the second round about 20 with various ranks including some key officials.
According to As Safir , Bellemare said that the Lebanese military leaders told him in an informal way that the Lebanese army will not arrest any members of Hezbollah party if indicted by the court.
A report in the German Der Spiegel magazine dated May 2009 revealed a link between Hezbollah and the assassination of Lebanon’s former PM Rafik Hariri, father of the current prime minister.
Jumblatt admitted he was behind the cabinet decisions on May 5, 2008 :
“I was the one who pushed Cabinet to take the two infamous decisions on May 5, 2008. The letter from the Defense Minister to Shoucair that was leaked to the media led me to the decision. I was pushed to take it and I fell in the trap “, he said.
Following the decision by the cabinet, Hezbollah on May 7, 2008 occupied the western part of Beirut and tried but failed to occupy the Druze stronghold of Mt Lebanon. Unconfirmed reports revealed that Hezbollah lost more fighters in the 2008 uprising than in the 2006 war with Israel. Over 1200 Lebanese were killed in the 2006 war but mostly civilians
In response to a question about his political U-turn, Jumblatt said:
“Everyone should forget the issue of changing views, and I have returned to my base of Arabism. Unlike many others, I have admitted to my mistakes.”
jabeen
Rating: Well-loved
+6
Walid,I’d say jabeen woo nos
Rating: Well-loved
+6
Oh no, not him again. Let’s wait till the end of the day and expect another opinion. Please to all my Lebanese friend, citizens and patriots regardless of your religious or political affiliation, let us bond together and voice our opinion against the thugs, flip-floppers, self serving, traitors representatives, who constantly use israel as the threat. We are our own threats and enemies. Are we part of the international community or not!!!
Why do we use this avenue when we need it and in cases like the STL it is refused !!!!! This shows bias on the part of h/a and associates
Rating: Well-loved
+6
Mr. Jumblatt is not a dummy I am quit sure some body putting a gun on his head and making him talk the way he is repeating things almost word by word like other March 8 personalities, and when politics change again in Lebanon after the fall of corrupt Iranian Regime he will say there was a gun on my head what would you do?
Rating:
-1
The guy is a joke, flip flop, why take him serious?
Rating:
+3
Too late Walid Beik. your testimony was heard loud and clear few years ago and the reason you’re approaching hezbollah because you’re such a low life and back stabber. You’re afraid for your life and your safety and beggin for forgivness. How could you stab your father in the back after what they did to him? Syria=hezbollah in lebanon therefore you agree with their actions in lebanon and you deserve to die like a dog you are. Do you remember calling Nassrallah names and Bashar ya Kird? were you high when you said that? what really changed your mind and deviated it from the truth? why is Marwan Hamade and many prior followers in the PSP do not believe you or respect you anymore? why you don’t just shut up and do us a favor and stop blaming and inflaming the situation. You Blame Geagea for inflamation the situation? well he only was reacting to Nassrallah Speech and what the clown Aoun have asked nassrallah to resort to May 2008 situations if needed be. After all Al Safir are in your corners so why would they accuse you of such evil advice to Nassrallah. You guys start the flames and when people react to it then you blame them for inflaming it. You kill Hariri then you say the STL is against the resistance and Lebanon and trying to ignite civil strife. Let me tell you something Nassrallah when the war ended in Kosovo it was the American who helped muslims to stop it. It was the whole international community who helped to stop it. It was the international conscious to put the Serb Leaders on tril and convict them. I did not hear you say that was against the Serbs. The STL is fair and been more than fair. They had overwhelming evidence against you and Syria i must add. Yet we’re 5 yrs later and still no convictions. that tells us they took their time to investigate the evidence and judging from you reaction you’re guilty mother f..r..i hate you and i hate everyone who support you. May you be damned in hell Inshallah soon.
Rating: Well-loved
+7
George,
every word you said X 1000.
I’d like to add that Geagea and Gemayel are the only decent leaders in Lebanese politics.
Rating: Well-loved
+10
“In response to a question about his political U-turn, Jumblatt said:
“Everyone should forget the issue of changing views, and I have returned to my base of Arabism. Unlike many others, I have admitted to my mistakes.”
Returning to his original base of Arabism! What Arabism does he means? Would that include Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Persian Gulf Arab states? In addition to Egypt, and all of North African Arab states! Or the only Arab state is the state of the Aalawe “Syria”?
Rating: Well-loved
+7
he is scared stiff of HA i think they tought him a bad lesson as he speak before he think and thank;s god he made a u turn and return to the arabism i don;t think anyone want a crackhead with him but HA so march 14 are saved now of MR blatt
Rating:
+1
Guys be careful, there are lots of syrian underwear on this site, it will smell like $h!t in here soon!
Rating:
0
This guy flipflops but atleast he’s on the correct path now. He knew that the US used us March 14 supporters as pawns and we got Syria out which is good. We blamed them for the Mossad orchestrated Hariri murder and really believed it until the evidence showed otherwise.
Now it’s time to admit the truth instead of believing a hogwash report which blames the arch enemies of those who actually did the crime in the first place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wji4qJwY6lo
Rating:
-1
¿Does it exist anyone in all the middle east that hasn’t been told by Jumblatt I share your views and fears?.
Rating:
0