STL indictment may be made public before March 14 rally

According to local reports the indictment in the investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri may be made public next week between March 8 and 10.

If this is the case then this will serve as a catalyst for rallying support for next Sunday’s demonstration which will mark the 6th anniversary of the Cedar Revolution.

March 14 alliance intends to rally the Lebanese against the illegal arms of Hezbollah which have been turned against the Lebanese citizens instead of Israel since 2006 for securing political advantages according to Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper sources

STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare handed the indictment to STL’s pre-trial judge Daniel Fransen on January 17, but until now the contents of the indictment remain confidential .

STL chief of Public Affairs Crispin Thorold told MTV last January that the indictment’s content will not be announced before Fransen approves it , adding that the process could take from 6 to 10 weeks.

The Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah brought down PM Saad Hariri’s government on January 12 over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s imminent indictment which is widely expected to implicate Hezbollah members in the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri in 2005

Nagib Mikati, who was backed by Hezbollah and its March 8 allies including MP Walid Jumblatt and Mohammad Safadi, was appointed on January 25 by president Michel Suleiman as PM-designate to form and head the next cabinet , giving Hezbollah and its allies increased leverage in the country and provoking widespread protest.

Mikati, Jumblatt, Safadi and their blocs were all elected on March 14 electoral lists during the 2009 parliamentary elections

Caretaker PM Hariri vowed on Monday to fight the use of non-state weapons in Lebanon in a “peaceful and democratic way.”

Minister of Social Affairs Selim Sayegh told MTV on Saturday that the” issue of Hezbollah arms cannot be dealt with through dialogue because these arms are being used as a tool to prevent the development of democratic life.” This is a possible reference to the alleged threats against MP Walid Jumblatt that resulted in the tilting the political balance in favor of Hezbollah.