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Fears rise over Hezbollah reaction if indicted in Hariri murder

04 November 2010 23:13 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Members of the Western-backed ruling majority in Lebanon said Thursday they feared the Hezbollah-led opposition may try to destabilise the country if its members are indicted in the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, APA reports quoting Earth Times.

Hezbollah, the powerful Shiite Muslim militant group backed by Syria and Iran, and its allies boycotted the National Dialogue session Thursday which was due to discuss the country’s defence strategy and the future of Hezbollah’s arms.

Tensions have been rising after unconfirmed reports said the UN tribunal stands to indict some members of Hezbollah for Hariri’s murder by the end of November. Nothing has been confirmed by The Hague-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).

Members of the majority backed by Western powers and regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia criticised Hezbollah for refusing to cooperate with the tribunal.

Parliamentary deputy Sami Gemayel, a member of the majority, reiterated his support for the STL, saying it remains "a red line" that should not be overstepped.

"Lebanon has two choices: either the criminals remain free, or they are brought to justice so that the country can have peace," he said.

A report in the Saudi newspaper al Sharq al-Awsat as well as media outlets loyal to Hezbollah quoted sources close to Hezbollah as saying it could seize control of Beirut and surround major government institutions if the indictments are issued against its members.

The current crisis has prompted fears of a renewed outbreak of sectarian violence pitting Hariri’s mainly Sunni supporters against the Hezbollah, who have the main military force in Lebanon.

A government source said that "what we may witness from now until the indictments are more boycotts from the part of the opposition that will help plunge the country into deeper political turmoil."

"Today’s boycott of the National Dialogue was the first step," the source said.

The National Dialogue started last year between the Lebanese factions to discuss and try to resolve the major political issues between the two sides.

The March 14th coalition backed by Hariri has condemned what it called an "intimidation campaign through the call for boycott of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the international investigators."

Rafiq Hariri’s death in 2005 led to a wave of protests, forcing neighboring Syria, which had been the dominant power in Lebanon since the end of the civil war, to withdraw its military forces from Lebanon, because it was originally blamed for Hariri’s murder.