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MP Hariri in Beirut urges massive turnout in February 14 rallies
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Head of the Future bloc in Parliament MP Saad Rafic Hariri called for a serious and courageous national dialogue to resolve all contentious issues among the Lebanese, and made clear that the March 14 factions remain united, a day after his return to Lebanon. At a news conference in Koreitem, MP Hariri paid tribute to all the Lebanese and to assassinated Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, two days before the first anniversary of his murder in Beirut. He said turnout for the commemoration in Beirut’s Freedom Square in the downtown district, should be massive to reaffirm the country’s drive for unity, dignity, sovereignty and Arabism, and to prevent the re-emergence of the security regime.
At the news conference, MP Hariri said Tuesday’s commemoration should prevent another assassination of the late Premier by those who have “never stopped manipulating Lebanon’s stability, unity and its democratic regime.” He cited last Sunday’s violent riots in Achrafieh, which targeted private property and a church, in a bid to pit Muslims and Christians against each and turn the country into a “graveyard.” He rejected the options of chaos or the return of the security regime, that are being floated, and said the Lebanese should take to downtown Beirut on Tuesday to renew their national unity and sovereignty pledge, in line with the spirit of the late leader.
Asked about the recent political accord between Hizbollah and General Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, and about MP Walid Jumblatt’s description of Hizbollah as a “militia,” MP Hariri said his position on the group is well-known, and called on all parties to work for Lebanese interests and to help build a modern and independent state. He also supported an initiative by House Speaker Nabih Berri to engage all factions in dialogue, adding the Lebanese should be left alone without interference from outside.
MP Hariri said his return to Lebanon after spending months abroad, was to be among the Lebanese when they commemorate the “black day” marking the first anniversary of the late Premier’s assassination, but made clear that “danger” persists. In response to a question on ties with Syria and the UN-commissioned probe into Prime Minister Hariri’s murder, head of the Future legislative bloc, said he always advocated special relations with Damascus, however the Syrian response has amounted to charges of treason, press campaigns and criticism. He also stressed that the probe is regulated by a UN Security Council resolution, which should be implemented to reveal the truth, although there is a price to pay for the continued investigation.
In Koreitem, MP Hariri was asked whether he still wants President Emile Lahoud to step down. He said nothing changed, and all the Lebanese should call for his resignation, citing the events that rocked Lebanon in the past year. Mr. Hariri said Interior Minister Hassan Sabeh tendered his resignation following Sunday’s riots in Achrafieh, while the President remains in power. Regarding investigations into Sunday’s violence, he said what was supposed to be a peaceful protests against anti-Muslim caricatures in Western press, was infiltrated in a deliberate attempt to harm stability, adding the perpetrators should pay “a dear price.”
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