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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syria's warrant against Jumblatt unites the Lebanese
2006-05-25
Beirut- Lebanon's government has rejected Syria's arrest warrant against MP Walid Jumblatt, warning that such a step would not help improve the ties between Beirut and Damascus. All the cabinet members present voted in support of Jumblatt, including Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh. Parliament is the only authority that can rule in relation to the warrant because Jumblatt has parliamentary immunity. Should it decide to reject the warrant, it will then be totally ineffective in practice.

The Lebanese government rejects and denounces such methods," said Information Minister Ghazi Aridi after a cabinet meeting Wednesday. "These warrants do not help restore stability and do not pave the way to reasonable relations between our two countries," he told reporters,

In Moscow, Mikhail Margelov, who heads the Russian Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee, said his country will have a "strong reaction" against the Syrian measure that he described as "naïve." Margelov, after talks with parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri, praised Jumblatt as a friend of Russia. "We consider Walid Jumblatt a dear and close friend of Russia…taking legal measures against this person is a naïve act," said Margelov.

Asked if Russia will condemn the Syrian move, he said: "We will follow this issue closely and of course if any extreme measure is taken, then Russia's reaction will be strong."
"We'll wait and see which way the wind blows"
A Syrian military magistrate on Monday issued an arrest warrant to detain Jumblatt and delivered it to Interpol.
An Nahar newspaper reported Thursday that the summons was handed over to the Arab Interpol and not the international bureau of the police agency based in Lyon. It said the latter received a copy of the summons from the Arab organization.
"Here ya go! Hot potato!"
The newspaper said that Chief Investigating Magistrate Said Mirza, who attended the cabinet meeting, will forward the warrant to parliament, which is the most appropriate body to issue a response in this case based on Jumblatt 's parliamentary immunity. Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday suspended a parliamentary session after a row with anti-Syrian politicians over the summons against Jumblatt. He said that the file he had received from the judiciary was incomplete and he could not act upon it.

On May 3, Jumblatt was summoned by a Syrian military court to appear within seven days on charges of "inciting against Syria". Jumblatt is a key member of Lebanon's anti-Syrian parliament majority which has accused Damascus of involvement in a series of bombings, including the murder of former Lebanon's PM Rafik Hariri. In December 2005, Jumblatt called for regime change in Syria.
Posted by:Steve

#2  Assad hell bent on retirement.
Posted by: doc   2006-05-25 15:33  

#1  thanks Steve,

Wally watch yer 6!
Posted by: RD   2006-05-25 13:16  

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