 | Either Wally Jumblatt or Professor Irwin Corey, I'm not sure which. | The Ain al-Tineh gathering of government and Syrian supporters is gaining momentum ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections, with Syrian loyalists accusing opposition members calling for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 of treason on Friday. Justice Minister Adnan Addoum on Friday accused the opposition of overstepping the limits of Resolution 1559 by "making the wrong bets and plucking courage from foreign powers."
The U.S.-backed resolution mainly calls for the withdrawal of Syria's 14,000 troops from Lebanon and the disarmament of Hizbullah. During a news conference, Addoum cautioned against derailing the Lebanese-Syrian track, "a situation that could lead to the isolation of Lebanon to strike a peace deal with Israel."
Replying to opposition member Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt, who described participants of the Ain al-Tineh meeting held earlier this week at Speaker Nabih Berri's official residence as "puppets," Addoum said that "puppets are those executing the orders of foreign powers and not those defending the Lebanese cause." Earlier in the day Addoum discussed with Labor Minister Assem Qanso the legal proceedings against the Progressive Socialist Party, led by Jumblatt, on charges of undermining relations between Beirut and Damascus by accusing the Baath Party of assassinating his father, Kamal Jumblatt. Addoum said that the State Prosecutor's Office will study the case and, should it find evidence to support the lawsuit, a letter will be addressed to Parliament to deprive Jumblatt of his parliamentary immunity. "The case is purely legal and not based on political considerations," Addoum added. |