Hariri Scolds Syria, Urges Opposition to Cut Ties with Damascus
Leader of the largest parliamentary bloc Saad Hariri has snapped back at Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, reiterating that the Damascus regime was hampering efforts to elect a new Lebanese president.
Hariri, in a statement released Thursday night, said Muallem and Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa are once again presenting new evidence regarding “the Syrian regime”s interference in Lebanon”s internal affairs, its direct participation in obstructing presidential elections and in prolonging the vacuum in the presidency.”
Muallem told a group of reporters on Thursday that the United States wants Lebanon”s parliamentary majority to monopolize the decision-making in the country.
The Syrian foreign minister, echoing a call by the Hizbullah-led opposition for agreement on a “basket” of conditions prior to facilitating Gen. Michel Suleiman”s election, also said: “We believe that forming a national unity government is as important as electing a new president because it would lead to activating all constitutional institutions, ending the (opposition) sit-in (in downtown Beirut) and paving the way for a thorough national dialogue.”
Hariri accused Syria of blocking efforts to find a successor to Emile Lahoud as part of a plan with other regional powers to put the “chokehold” on Lebanon and the Lebanese.
The MP said the Syrian “agenda” on the “fate” of the presidency and that of the opposition were similar in “explicitly announcing that there would be no new president before agreement on the formation of a national unity cabinet.”
He said this reveals that Damascus is negotiating over a new Lebanese president rather than the opposition.
However, Hariri assured the Lebanese that “the Syrian regime won”t return to Lebanon.”
Syria withdrew its forces from Lebanon under local and international pressure in the aftermath of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri”s assassination in Feb. 2005.
Hariri, in his statement, also urged the opposition to sever its relations with Syria.
“It”s time for it to take a historic stand by cutting its ties (with Damascus),” he said.