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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Helou critical of Hezbollah's rejection of the Hariri Tribunal |
| 2008-02-24 |
| During an interview by Dalia Nehme , Lebanon's MP Henry Helou on Saturday accused Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah of straight out rejection of the international tribunal that would try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri and related crimes terming it a "very grave" step. Helou, a member of MP Walid Jumblatt's Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc, told Nehme the "most grave point in Nasrallah's address (on Friday) is his rejection of the international tribunal. He has dropped the veil for the first time and said he is against the tribunal." "When he speaks against the international tribunal it means he is against all international institutions, the international community and laws that govern relations between states," Helou added. He asked Nasrallah's allies about their response to his stand of rejecting the international tribunal. "What is the stand of Speaker Nabih Berri and AMAL Movement? What is the stand of the Free Patriotic Movement and Gen. Michel Aoun?" He asked. "This is a very serious stand (by Nasrallah). This is evidence that Hezbollah does not want the international tribunal," Helou added. Helou also rejected threats by Hezbollah of open war against Israel because "they give Israel a pretext to invade Lebanon." "Israel, to us, is the enemy and Lebanon, to Israel, is the enemy Â… Israel wants to invade Lebanon. Why give Israel an excuse to do so?" he asked. "As if he is inviting Israel to invade Lebanon," Helou said of Nasrallah. Lebanon, he said, had "enough of fighting and resisting Israel alone." Hezbollah 's Imad Mughniyeh was "killed in Syria. My question is why wouldn't Syria go into war with Israel instead of using Lebanon's land and borders as long as the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh was carried out on its terrain?" he asked. "If they want war against Israel let all the Arab states open their fronts to war," Helou stressed. He reiterated the stand that the decision to go to war or peace should be strictly in the hands of Lebanese authorities. Helou said Nasrallah's "aggressive words would lead to nothing but war and destruction." He rejected Nasrallah's call for a two-demonstration competition, saying the Hezbollah leader can mass "one million supporters, more or less, for a demonstration, but they would all be from one sect ( meaning Shiites) . March 14 grouped participants from all the Lebanese sects. The pluralist system and joint existence are the essence of Lebanon." He reiterated commitment by the majority to the Arab Initiative, rejecting the tripartite distribution of equal shares in the government that had been proposed by the Hezbollah-led opposition as "non-constitutional." Helou said threats made against Arab and foreign embassies was aimed at "aborting the Arab initiative." The threats prompted Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to issue travel advisories restricting the travel of their citizens to Lebanon. |
| Posted by:Fred |