Franjieh: Hariri's Hatred towards Assad Stems from Sectarian Feelings
Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh on Thursday announced his rejection of a possible rise to power by Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood, saying “I cannot accept those who believe that it is permissible to spill my blood.”
In an interview on LBC television, Franjieh revealed that ex-PM Saad Hariri had allegedly told him Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was “totally innocent” of his father’s 2005 assassination and that “the Iranians were behind the assassination” of former premier Rafik Hariri.
“That’s why I say that his (Saad Hariri’s) hatred towards Assad stems from sectarian feelings and that was demonstrated through his support for (ousted Egyptian leader) Hosni Mubarak and others,” Franjieh charged.
“The Hariri dynasty has been trying to dominate the country and impose pro-Sunni policies, but this is an impossible scheme,” he noted.
Asked about the possibility of Assad being ousted by the eight-month revolt rocking his nation, Franjieh said: “On a personal level, and given my ties with him, I would be losing a brother and a bet on a political alliance that dates back to (former) president (Suleiman) Franjieh’s era.”
“We respect the Syrian people, but aren’t the residents of Aleppo and Damascus part of this people?” he said, referring to the recent pro-Assad rallies in Syria’s largest two cities and economic powerhouses.
Franjieh added that Assad is being pressured in order to “give up his support for Hizbullah, Iran and the Palestinian cause.”
“Many people believe that Syria will be fragmented, but President Assad totally rejects such a hypothesis and he also rejects the stirring of sectarian sentiments,” the MP went on to say.
Addressing the domestic issues, Franjieh voiced his satisfaction with Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s performance.
“He is practicing his political centrism,” the Marada leader added.
Asked about Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil’s policies, Franjieh said the latter “has the right to discuss his projects in detail.”
“But he is tiresome and he has exhausted the country and the Lebanese,” Franjieh said of the energy minister.
“I’m not with tasking (Labor Minister) Charbel Nahhas with confronting Harirism, because his approach is Marxist and I don’t believe that it is valid,” Franjieh went on to say.
He also declared his rejection of a VAT hike “as it won’t solve the deficit problem.”
Asked about the controversial issue of funding the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Franjieh said: “We had deemed it unconstitutional since the very beginning.”
Source: Naharnet
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