Reluctance to Extradite Fugitive Raises Doubts on Syria”s “Good Intentions”
MP Walid Jumblat said Monday he was surprised at Syria”s reluctance to extradite to Lebanon a fugitive involved in last month”s deadly ambush on a Lebanese army convoy.
The main suspect, Hussein Jaafar, was arrested earlier this month in Turkey after entering the country from Syria with a forged Syrian ID. He was then handed over to the Syrian authorities.
"Does this (behavior) demonstrate Syria”s good intentions toward Lebanon? Does it reflect a genuine Syria desire to deal with Lebanon as an independent state?" he said in an interview with the al-Anbaa newspaper.
"Don”t the army and security forces – which are everyday making great achievements by uncovering Israeli espionage rings – deserve custody of those who attacked them?"
Syria had said it will hand over Jaafar to Lebanon once the investigation was completed.
Jaafar is wanted in Lebanon in connection with the April 13 killing of four Lebanese soldiers.
Jumblat also expressed astonishment at "tension emanating from all directions."
"It seems as if everybody has become prisoners to their narrow slogans and are unable to read into the developments taking place around them," he said.
On the Mideast peace process, Jumblat said the Arab-Israeli conflict can only be resolved through "a two-state solution and the return of Palestinian refugees to their land in the context of the Arab peace initiative."
He said Israel”s "stubbornness will sabotage all the opportunities that provide an exit to this bitter reality."
The political leadership "must perform a meticulous reading of changes (taking place in the region) and … shun the language of tension and treason," he said, pleading for an intimidation-free election.