| We had the first echo of this yesterday. Here's more detail and context. The ghost of Anna Comnena is enjoying herself. She's thinking of buying a computer to keep up with the ins and outs of the diplo-political war... |
 Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has rejected an international inquiry into the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, emphasizing his distrust of the UN Security Council because of its U.S. influence.
| "Nope. Nope. Just won't do. Much too neutral." |
In an interview broadcast by Beirut-based Al-Manar television on Wednesday night, he said: "Any biased sentence by the supposed inquiry team would set the whole country on fire because we are going through a very fragile and decisive moment." He added: "The UN investigative teams in Iraq and Palestine oblige us not to risk putting Lebanon's fate in the wrong hands."
| "Who knows what'll happen if the wrong findings are brought in? Somebody could start shooting people up. And we wouldn't want that, would we?" |
Disputing rumors that he was serving as an envoy for the resistance, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said from Washington on Thursday that he had not carried any messages from Hizbullah to U.S. President George W. Bush. Confirming Sfeir's stand, Nasrallah said: "Patriarch Sfeir sent his representatives to meet with us [earlier in the week] as part of ongoing dialogue over national issues that do not concern Bush." Sfeir told reporters in Washington on Thursday that he had not mentioned Hizbullah in their talks, nor had Bush asked. Replying to the Lebanese opposition's demands for security heads to resign after the killing of slain former Nasrallah said: "We cannot sack security officers without a fair trial; it would be humiliating to them, their families and colleagues."
| "And they can't resign, either. What's good for security heads is good for the country, by Gum!" |
The resistance leader called for an Arab League investigation team to "guarantee neutralism and give surety to the Hariri family." The opposition has demanded the dismissal or resignation of the country's security chiefs based on their alleged - partial or total - involvement in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri, a demand so far rejected by the government. Following Nasrallah's comments on the issue, the head of the Security General Directorate, Major General Jamil al-Sayyed, held a news conference Thursday on behalf of his colleagues and declared his willingness to stand in any court, inside or outside the country. |