A Lebanese judge issued an arrest warrant against exiled former Army Commander General Michel Aoun Friday after his third failure to appear in court on charges of making anti-Syrian remarks to the US Congress. Chief Beirut Investigating Magistrate Hatem Madi issued the warrant after the court again failed to summon the Christian opposition politician through the Lebanese consulate in Paris where he lives.
| "I'm livin' in Gay Paree. That ain't in Lebanon. Piss off." |
It was not immediately clear if the court would now move to try Aoun in absentia. The prosecution centers on testimony the former head of an interim military cabinet gave to a US congressional committee in September during discussions of a bill that seeks to impose unilateral sanctions on Syria for its âsupport of terrorismâ and âoccupation of Lebanon.â Aoun compared Syria to an âorganized crime syndicateâ in a testimony to US lawmakers last month, saying Syria had turned Lebanon into fertile ground for terrorism, according to a text of his remarks published on a pro-Aoun website.
| Not that we couldn't have figured that without his testimony... |
A prosecutor has charged Aoun over the statements, deeming them damaging to Beirutâs ties with its powerful neighbor to the east. The former premier is accused of âspreading lies abroad that harm the dignity and the capacity of the Lebanese stateâ and inciting sectarian strife. |