Political tension escalated in Lebanon Monday as leaders of the parliamentary majority lashed at Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah accusing him of seeking to set up his own state in the multi-sect nation and defending assumed culprits in the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri.The attacks came hours after a speech by Nasrallah in which he pledged a half century of Hezbollah influence, attacked the international tribunal that would try suspects in the 2005 Hariri assassination and related crimes and defended four generals jailed in connection with the crime. Democratic gathering leader Walid Jumblatt said Hezbollah's "weapons, arsenal, institutes and security zones are the main obstacles that prevent the creation of a strong state" in Lebanon. Nasrallah's rejection of the international tribunal, Jumblatt said, reflects efforts by Syria to "retain control of Lebanon's politics, constitution and institutions."
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He said Syria, which dominated Lebanon for nearly 30 years before withdrawing its troops in April 2005 after the Hariri assassination, "seeks to retain control of Lebanon through Hezbollah." He said Nasrallah was facing "a problem" because of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 which ended a 34-day war between the party and Israel last August. The resolution "prevents the Syrian and Iranian regimes from carrying out their maneuvers in the south Lebanon arena," he said in reference to Hezbollah which is banned by the U.N. measure from maintaining fighters in a 23-kilometer deep zone south of the Litani River.
Jumblatt also charged some Lebanese security agencies of "smuggling in hundreds of Iraqis from Syria."
"What is the aim of such a move? Does it aim at carrying out political assassinations or to carry out acts of sabotage?" Jumblatt asked.
Several MPs from the Parliamentary majority also accused Nasrallah of defending alleged culprits in the Hariri assassination and related crimes. The Hezbollah leader also was charged with sabotaging chances of a settlement to the ongoing Lebanese crisis. "Nasrallah announces the death of the (national) dialogue, ruling out civil war," the Daily al-Hayat wrote.
Nasrallah on Sunday said Hezbollah was no longer interested in a 19-11 formula, a reference to the number of ministers in a new national unity government. "If we were to choose between civil war and keeping the situation this way for a limited period of time, we prefer to continue with this state of affairs (stalemate)," he said.
Nasrallah attacked the international tribunal, saying it was designed to announce ready-made verdicts against certain suspects in the Hariri murder and related crimes.
Communications minister Marwan Hemadeh called Hezbollah speech a long list of failures by the opposition following the war with Israel. Hemadeh told LBC that the opposition failed badly in its attempt to bring down the government despite their protest and the sit- in in down town Beirut and the violence that accompanied all this. He said all this was a waste of time and didnÂ’t yield any results for the opposition. Hemadeh repeated his call for dialogue, saying it is the only solution for LebanonÂ’s problems.
Al Mustaqbal newspaper, mouthpiece of MP Saad Hariri's political group that carries the same title, retorted on its front page that Nasrallah had "uncovered his mask and the hidden (truth) by rejecting the international tribunal Â… and by defending the suspects involved (in the Hariri killing), and labeling them political prisoners."
In a televised speech to 1,700 Hezbollah university graduates, Nasrallah said the four Lebanese generals jailed in connection with the Hariri crime were "political prisoners" in Lebanon. He was referring to former Director General of the Surete Generale's Security Department Gen. Jamil as-Sayyed, former commander of the Internal Security Forces Gen. Ali el-Hajj, former Presidential Guards commander Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hamdan and former director of army intelligence Raymond Azar. Nasrallah was also accused of trying to "control the whole of Lebanon for the interest of Syria and Iran."