[An Nahar] Free Patriotic MovementDespite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic...
leader MP Michel Aoun
...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah...
on Wednesday noted that Hizbullah might react violently if the Special Tribunal for Leb accused Hizbullah members in the 2005 murder of ex-PM Rafik Hariri.
In a meeting with the Diplomatic Press Association in Gay Paree, Aoun warned that "the reaction will be more violent because (Hizbullah) is innocent."
"No one should play with fire. Those who consider themselves to be innocent might ignite a crisis that takes a military form," the FPM leader added.
That statement makes not one bit of sense.
Earlier Wednesday, Aoun reiterated that he does not reject the authority of the Special Tribunal for Leb, noting that he was "one of the first people to call for the setting up of the STL."
However,
The infamous
However...
Aoun said that "a bunch of false witnesses tried to change the probe's course."
In an interview with French television LCI on the sidelines of his visit to Gay Paree, Aoun added: "Investigators have overlooked this course, which, in our opinion, would have enabled them of discovering the real criminals, and this thing had led us to question the tribunal's transparency."
As Aoun noted that it was not a problem whether he approves Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's stance that further Lebanese cooperation with the court would be tantamount to an attack on the Shiite group, the FPM leader stressed that "what brings us together with Hizbullah is more of an understanding rather than an alliance."
"This understanding has contributed to stability in Leb, where many factors that could lead to strife exist," Aoun added.
Asked whether Hizbullah had the right to "blackmail all Lebanese over the issue of the STL," Aoun said: "Up till now, no verdict has been issued against Hizbullah, so now it is defending itself and its innocence."
On the other hand, Aoun noted that former French president Jacques Chirac "had reduced the margin of communication between the Lebanese and the French, limiting the relation between the two countries to the personal relation between him and ex-PM (Rafik) Hariri."