Geagea: Gone are the days of threats over STL indictment

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea praised the way president handled the vote on the so called “false witnesses” during the last cabinet meeting :

Following his Tuesday meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir in Bkirki he told the media :

“We feel that the president is bearing proper responsibility for the first time in 20 years,” in reference to Suleiman’s recent on comments on the “false witnesses” issue.

During an interview with As-Safir newspaper published on Monday, Suleiman said “I do not accept anyone setting time frames for me to secure consensus in the cabinet and obliging me to put any issue up for a vote.”

“President Michel Suleiman is acting responsibly in his handling of the current Lebanese impasse, Geagea said

On Saudi-Syrian talks to resolve the Lebanese political crisis, Geagea wondered :

“Through which logic do we obstruct the national dialogue in Lebanon and say we are waiting for the Saudi-Syrian” initiative? He added : “with what logic do Lebanese parties throw their problems on foreign states and expect a solution from nowhere ?”

In response to the threats over STL indictment , Geagea said:

” Gone are the days of threats over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) indictment… The international community rejects these threats and the Lebanese people reject attempts to tamper with the country’s security.”

I do not have any information about the date of the issuance of the STL’s [upcoming] indictment.”

In response to a question about the STL indictment Geagea said: “I do not have any information about the date of the issuance of the STL’s indictment…and added” I was personally expecting the prosecutor to refer the indictment to the pre-trial judge before the holidays but that didn’t happen.”

The LF leader called on the Lebanese to commit to state institutions.

Geagea’s comments come after the Free Patriotic Movement launched an attack against president Suleiman over the vote on the so called “false witnesses” issue.

Yesterday FPM MP Nabil Nicolas accused Suleiman of violating Article 65 of the constitution and today FPM leader MP Michel Aoun, a close ally of Hezbollah escalated the attack against the president following the Change and Reform meeting.

Tensions in Lebanon have been simmering for months as it has become increasingly apparent the United Nations Special Tribunal for Lebanon STL) is leaning toward charging Hezbollah , the Shiite Muslim group with killing Mr. Hariri on Valentine’s Day 2005.

The massive, 1,000 kilogram, car bomb that killed Mr. Hariri as he traveled along Beirut’s fashionable seaside Corniche, left a crater 10 meters deep, knocked down several buildings and killed 21 other people, in addition to killing the billionaire tycoon who had rebuilt war-shattered Beirut.

Lebanese politicians fear any indictment of Hezbollah members for the killing could lead to a situation where the group might militarily seize large parts of Lebanon, just it they did in May 2008, when it briefly grabbed control of the western part of Beirut and tried, but failed, to occupy the Druze stronghold of Mt. Lebanon.

For months now, rumors have hinted UN investigators have uncovered evidence a Hezbollah hit-squad carried out the killing.

Hezbollah’s leaders have denied the charge.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah also warned all Lebanese last November not to assist UN investigators, saying to do so would be tantamount to an attack on his movement.

Nasrallah vowed to “cut off the hand” of anyone who tried to arrest a Hezbollah fighter.