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| Sayyed Warns of 'Political, Security Unrest' if Hizbullah was Indicted |
| 2010-10-06 |
| [An Nahar] Former head of Leb's General Security Department Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed warned of "political and security unrest" in the event the Special Tribunal for Leb indicted Hizbullah in the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri. "If the indictment accused Hizbullah, this will change Leb," Sayyed said in an interview with the French newspaper, Liberation, adding that "power today is based on national consensus." "The system will collapse from top to bottom and this would lead to political and security unrest, and everything is likely to happened," he added. Hizbullah expects the STL to issue an indictment in December that is likely to accuse Hizbullah "unjustly" of involvement in Hariri's assassination. Hizbullah has demanded trial for those involved in the issue of false witnesses. Syria on Sunday ordered the arrest of 33 people over false testimony given in the UN-backed probe into Hariri's murder. Sayyed said the top investigating judge in Damascus had issued arrest warrants "against judges, security officers, politicians, journalists and other Lebanese, Arab and foreign officials and individuals." Among those named in the warrants is Detlev Mehlis, the German prosecutor who led the early stages of the UN investigation into Hariri's assassination in a massive bombing, Sayyed said in a weekend statement. The Lebanese defendants include police chief Gen. Ashraf Rifi, deputy Marwan Hamadeh, State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza and former justice minister Charles Rizk. Sayyed's office on Tuesday said the 33 arrest warrants do not include Judge Ralph Riachy and former Cabinet minister Bassem al-Sabaa. Sayyed has said arrest warrants could include Prime Minister Saad Hariri if he was found to be guilty in the false witnesses' case. "I'm convinced that the false witnesses' case is being steered by Hariri personally with his money and everything," Sayyed told Al-Jadid television. "During the investigation, police intelligence chief Wissam Hasan or State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza could testify that they brought the false witnesses to meet Hariri's desire," Sayyed said, "At this point, Hariri is likely to be included in the arrest warrants." |
| Posted by:Fred |