Naharnet Newsdesk - Tueni's 'Death List' Dramatized by Exodus of Lebanese Politicians to France

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Tueni's 'Death List' Dramatized by Exodus of Lebanese Politicians to France

An exodus of anti-Syria politicians is underway from Lebanon to France, dramatizing a revelation by Beirut legislator Gebran Tueni that the U.N. commission investigating ex-Premier Hariri's murder has passed through authorities in Beirut a 'hit list' of figures marked for assassination in Lebanon.
Hardly had Tueni finished his frightening disclosure of the 'death list' from Paris on Monday, reports came in that Druze leader Walid Jumblat and his two cabinet ministers in Premier Seniora's government -- Ghazi Aridi and Nihmeh Tohmeh – had landed in the French capital in a secrecy-shrouded flight from Beirut.

They joined there each of parliament majority leader Saad Hariri, Vice Speaker Farid Makari, Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh and Gebran Tueni, the board chairman and general-manager of An Nahar. Hamadeh is to undergo a nose surgery, the latest in a string of operations since he miraculously survived a car-bomb assassination near his Beirut house on Oct. 1.

Tueni's revelation was the lead story in several Beirut newspaper and radio and television stations in Beirut on Tuesday. Al Balad daily ran it under an 8-column page-one banner-line that screamed "Assassination List Banishes More Politicians to Paris."

Tueni revealed the lists in interviews aired by the LBCI, Al Hurra and Al Sharq radio on Monday. He was commenting on a report of death threats in Beirut published by the London-based Al Hayat newspaper earlier in the day.

"I am in Paris for medical checkups but al-Hayat report is correct. I have officially received information from Lebanese authorities based on data from the U.N. investigation commission that there is an 'assassination list' and my name tops it," he said.

"This data has been drummed up by the commission from testimonies made by the many persons who have been interrogated," Tueni added.

"We haven't been talking about this issue until al-Hayat ran the story. I can assure you that I have personally received through Lebanese authorities a death list passed by the investigation commission containing my name."

Tueni said he believed the same list was passed to other Lebanese figures, which made it imperative to take precautions.

Tueni also said that the forthcoming final report of German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis about Hariri's assassination could disturb many people as it is apparent that the report has arrived at clear conclusions.

Tueni said this was the cause for a systematic campaign that is underway to cast doubt on the commission's credibility noting that certain quarters were behind it within the framework of intimidation and they might create a climate of security unrest either through bombings or assassinations.

He sounded confident that this campaign would not stop the process of the new era in Lebanon.

"Hariri's assassination was not a small matter but has been classified internationally as a terrorist operation. This has been manifested by the U.N. Security Council Resolution that set up an international commission of inquiry to probe the murder."

Tueni suggested that the security council keep on handling the case even after the issuance of the Mehlis report. "The case could be referred to the international court of justice in The Hague or any international tribunal because the report is likely to transcend Lebanon to other countries."

Responding to a question about President Assad's green light to Mehlis to interrogate anyone in Syria in connection with the assassination, Tueni said the Syrian authorities have come to a stage where they can not escape their responsibilities within the international community.

"You are aware that President Assad is going to the U.N. General Assembly, which means Syria will cooperate with the international community in the affair," Tueni said. "I believe Syria will have to cooperate with the security council, taking into consideration whether we liked it or not that the Syrian regime is within the area of accusation in the eyes of the international community as well as many people in Lebanon," he added.

"This does not necessarily mean that Syria is accused of having engineered Hariri's assassination. But it is natural that the investigating committee which has been interrogating many Lebanese to interrogate also Syrian security officials who served in Lebanon when Hariri was assassinated," Tueni argued.

"We should not forget that Syria was the reigning occupation authority which made it responsible of events in the country especially in an assassination case of that magnitude," Tueni said. He suggested that Syria's cooperation would help reach the truth and clarify the basis upon which relations between the two countries would be founded.

Tueni declared full confidence in Detlev Mehlis' credibility. "It is impossible to doubt his credibility because he acts with the authority of the security council and no one can cast doubt about the council's credibility. The security council has defended Lebanon's sovereignty when it was prejudiced," Tueni asserted.

Beirut, 29 Aug 05, 19:07


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