Lebanese Politicians Condemn Murder of 'Moderate' Shatah
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The assassination of former Finance Minister Mohammed Shatah drew widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum on Friday as officials and politicians mourned the loss of a “moderate” voice.
Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat described Shatah as a stateman, saying he has always been characterized by adopting the "language of dialogue and moderation."
The first step to confront the series of bombings targeting Lebanon is to be calm and consolidate the security and military institutions to protect civil peace.
“It's a pity that we returned to the wave of assassinations in Lebanon ... Shatah worked day and night in Lebanon’s interest,” March 14 lawmaker Butros Harb told LBCI TV station.
Al-Mustaqbal MP Hadi Hbeish told MTV that Shatah's killers “are trying to silence the words of truth through explosions and killings.”
“My condolences to all the Lebanese,” he said.
Shatah, who was ex-Premier Saad Hariri's adviser, died in a huge car bomb.
National Bloc leader Carlos Edde told LBCI's reporter near the scene of the blast in downtown Beirut that Shatah was a “courageous man.”
He was not afraid of the wave of assassinations that have shaken Lebanon, he said.
“There is an attempt to suppress voices of moderation,” Edde added.
Another March 14 official, MP Robert Ghanem, also spoke to the same TV station, saying the explosion was part of the strife plot against Lebanon.
“The entire Lebanese entity was the target of the blast,” he said.
“We should overcome the plot by forming a new cabinet,” the lawmaker said.
Shatah “was not an extremist. He used to speak logically and was known for being ethical,” Ghanem added.
Caretaker Labor Minister Salim Jreissati warned through LBCI against strife.
“The blast targeted a moderate voice,” he said.
Caretaker Information Minister Walid al-Daouq condemned the “terrorist bombing,” saying “the target of the blast was the stability of Lebanon.”
“We should form a cabinet to control the situation,” he said.
Caretaker Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil called for "wisdom in resolving problems … and reaching an agreement on how to confront the upcoming stage.”
“We condemn this terrorist attack that targeted our brother Mohammed Shatah,” he added.
Change and Reform bloc MP Alain Aoun also called for unity.
“The country is exposed and as long as we are divided we're helping others to target us.”
“Lebanon became a mailbox between rival sides,” he warned.
Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel expressed hope from the blast scene that such incidents won't occur again.
He urged officials to engage in dialogue as the only solution to Lebanon's crises.
Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel said the blast aimed at destabilizing Lebanon.
“The moderate voice was assassinated,” he lamented.
Caretaker Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi described the bombing as “barbarous,” saying “it had nothing to do with any sect or cause.”
Caretaker Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn said the bombing targets Lebanon's national unity.
“We hope that the blood of martyrs would bring the Lebanese closer,” he told LBCI, hoping for dialogue between the rival sides.
Phalange MP Nadim Gemayel also said via Twitter that Shatah was a moderate man.
"He was killed for having faith in Lebanon first and the principles of the Cedar Revolution, he said.
Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun also condemned Shatah's murder, saying it's time for every official, to carry out his duties and exercise his authorities at least in preserving security.
Head of the Marada Movement MP Suleiman Franjieh slammed Shatah's assassination, saying: “Lebanon's civil peace is once again a target.”
“All sides are required to act responsibly and avoid subjecting Lebanon to the evil of internal strife,” he added in statement, while offering his condolences to the victims' families.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea later condemned the assassination, saying that it is part of the series of assassinations against March 14 figures.
“Our battle with the murderers is open and the Cedar Revolution will continue until we achieve the rise of the Lebanese state and until threats cease,” he remarked.
“They have gone too far with Shatah's assassination and we cannot deal with this crime as an isolated incident, especially since it was executed by highly professional hands,” he added.
“Does the battle against takfiris entail Shatah's assassination?” he wondered in an indirect reference to Hizbullah's fighting in Syria against alleged takfiri groups.
“Shatah was a symbol of moderation and dialogue and we wonder just how frustrated the owners of illegitimate arms have become in that they sought to assassinate such a figure,” noted Geagea.
27 December 2013, 11:16
00
The list of Moderates removed from the scene is increasing... Are we doomed to survive with extremists ??
27 December 2013, 11:20
47
Another explosion and martyrs may allah have mercy on the souls that have been lost today whether they r christian or muslims....I wonder who the HA supporters going to blame saudi takfiris israel they better blame themselves for supporting a militia that r iranian puppets
27 December 2013, 12:30
32
and i wonder who the m14 drones are going to blame... actually not really, we already know where the automatic accusations go.
suppressing the moderate voices is an attempt at radicalizing m14, in other words the opponents of m8 and more specifically hezbollah.
use your brains: who profits from agitating m14 and turning it radical against HA?
27 December 2013, 12:38
22
hezbis have the power and the weapons so killing M14 people would not bother them as they know there would be no response against them! M14 people are killed since syrians left...
did they get radicalized? no.... so your theory does not work here....
27 December 2013, 12:44
31
yes they did get radicalized. pre 2005 all lebanon was united around the resistance then bombing after bombing after bombing, look where we are now, on the verge of a new civil war. who profits from that?
as you say HA has the weapons and power, if they wanted to wage a war against m14 they wouldnt slowly and progressively incite them, letting them at the same time build up a counter-force. they'd hit fast and hard and wipe them out.
27 December 2013, 12:51
21
"they'd hit fast and hard and wipe them out."
then why don't they hit hard and fast against M14 as they are radicalized as you pretend and are building up a force? LOL
oh! because M14 does not have an army like hezbollah! LOL
27 December 2013, 12:53
21
look at quseyr: when the thousands of takfiris massing up there became enough of a threat for HA to decide to do something about it, they said it, loud and clear and went in full strength. few days later it was over. wham bam thank you ma'am.
no matter how much you hate HA, first thing in the art of war is KNOW YOUR ENEMY. and if you knew the first thing about HA you'd know this is not how they operate.
27 December 2013, 12:53
11
because HA is not interested in waging a war against m14. wake up dammit!!!
27 December 2013, 12:56
22
oups ! but qousayr is in syria... not lebanon... we are talking about M14 in lebanon...
oh! you pretend that the forces in qousayr are M14? wahahaha! so funny...
and in lebanon there is no such thing as a M14 army LOL
hezbollah knows that they cannot wage a war against their opponents (bad for their "resistance" business here) so they just take everyone down one by one, the syrian way!
27 December 2013, 13:00
21
man sorry but i have to say thing like they are: you are an idiot, you dont understand anything and you're a waste of time.
27 December 2013, 14:04
21
sure i waste your time as i see things as they are not through the hezbi prisma!
your hezbi party is a cancer and it will be ERADICATED....
27 December 2013, 14:32
21
yea man you're super duper smart an dyou see righ through the matrix. clearly there's no fooling you. attaboy
27 December 2013, 17:18
10
oh because you werent trying before? ROFL.
dont pretend to use a random accusation now to justify what you would have done decades ago if only you were capable.
27 December 2013, 18:47
11
Mowaten : "because HA is not interested in waging a war against m14. wake up dammit!!!"
Of course they are not ! They want to take the country over without any resistance whatsoever. (PS: By resistance, i mean a real resistance against Iranian plans to control Lebanon... not a fake "islamic resistance aka Kezballah").
27 December 2013, 19:36
10
yea and shatah was the one thing standing between them and that. sure.
if they wanted what you claim, they would have gotten it a long time ago. you keep calling me names, stupid imbecile etc, but i'm saying here not as an insult, i have serious doubts about your IQ.
27 December 2013, 11:21
00
This adds to the list of Moderates removed from the scene... Are we doomed to live with extremists??
27 December 2013, 11:26
52
Ahia are not blamed, patriotic shia are being executed in front of ambassies while doing pecefull protests taken on pictures and the assassins protected by hezbollah... Patriotic shia are still screaming their rejectionof hezbollah outload like sayed el amine... We or I blame any agent of the syrian regime let him be suni, shia, druze, christian..or even secular...
RIP mohamad chateh i only hope that ur death as the death of hariri, kassir, hawi will not go in vain and maybe will help in the rising of beirut/damas spring, and maybe someday we will be able to live in peace....
27 December 2013, 12:23
01
imagine_1979
I do share your wish and I hope this will come true. How many more deaths and explosions are needed for our worthless politicians to unite for the sake of the country and its brave people.
RIP Mr. Minister I hope you did not die in vain.
My condolences to his family as well as to the families of other victims
27 December 2013, 11:44
51
To The Administrator of this website: You did not like my posts and deleted them ..just for talking against Hizbolah. Thank you.. You seem the new person that took over from Martyr Twaini.
27 December 2013, 12:32
31
yea, it's a "known fact" that this website protects HA, they secretly belong to wilayat el fakih. conspiracy, conspiracy everywhere...
27 December 2013, 11:52
44
Instead of responding tit for tat you should tell us that you are indeed jubilation that another m14 personality has been murdered thus weakening the moderate current in this country that is striving for a truly independent country and threnghtening the m8 current speaking to attach Lebanon to despotic Syrian and Iranian regimes
27 December 2013, 11:52
43
Instead of responding tit for tat you should tell us that you are indeed jubilation that another m14 personality has been murdered thus weakening the moderate current in this country that is striving for a truly independent country and threnghtening the m8 current speaking to attach Lebanon to despotic Syrian and Iranian regimes
27 December 2013, 12:00
31
النهار
علّق الشهيد محمد شطح في آخر تغريدة له على "تويتر" كالآتي: "حزب الله" يهول ويضغط ليصل الى ما كان النظام السوري قد فرضه لمدّة 15 عام: تخلي الدولة له عن دورها وقرارها السيادي في الأمن والسياسة الخارجية".
27 December 2013, 12:08
42
some say it is israel (as usual) which did it to create strife... but lebanon does not need israel to create strife as lebanese do it perfectly well on their own!
so it leaves syria and its partners in lebanon (which given the target is possible) or the other side (alqaeda or other same groups) to create more strife...
but it does not seem like israel did it as hezbi always jump to say each time a bombing is made! (but it is in their pavlovian nature, it s a reflex!)
laqqis was murdered a month ago, could this be an answer to his murder? given the anti mustaqbal campaign launched by hezbollah...
27 December 2013, 12:40
22
wanna talk of pavlovian reflex? look at the automatic accusations from you goons here.
HA is at war with israel, it's normal when someone in HA is assassinated to suspect ... (guess who!)
whereas HA is not at war with m14, only in your little minds of frustrated losers. if HA was at war with m14 you would have known it. believe me.
27 December 2013, 12:43
21
that is why you are the first one to accuse israel! like a reflex you have each time a mureder is commited! LOL
and of course hezbis do not need to be at war when they control the country and its fate!
27 December 2013, 12:47
21
oh! and in case you did not noticed i only proposed different hypothesis, 3 to be exact...
but you? just israel (pavlovian reflex as usual!) LOL
even when M14 are killed it is always israel! so you d better revise your theory that M14 is a israeli pawn... why would israel kill their allies?
but it is good for your business, so it justifies your arsenal! israel is at the root of all evil in lebanon! LOL
27 December 2013, 13:36
22
2008 ayar... Black shirts.. Boutros harb... Yes u r probably right keep on bro...
27 December 2013, 14:44
21
may 2008 is a perfect example. when m14 crossed the line, declaring war on HA by trying to seize its telecom network and opening fire on protesters, nasrallah came out and said, LOUD AND CLEAR, you've crossed the line we're taking action. and they did. as i was saying above for qusayr, it was wham bam thank you ma'am.
27 December 2013, 16:00
21
"nasrallah came out and said, LOUD AND CLEAR, you've crossed the line"
sure , the gvt went agaisnt HA so they took arms against lebanese people... and you pretend to want an all embracing cabinet when the first thing you do is shoot citizens when you disagree with the gvt 's decisions! they do justice instead of letting the proper forces do so! they as a party take things in their hands without CONSULTING the legal forces in charge of it! you peretend to respect the institutions? lol you step on it whenever you deem so! LOL
stop the hypocrisy stupid hezbi lover....
27 December 2013, 17:25
10
lol stop hiding behind so called "institutions" you wouldnt give a damn about or do the slightest effort to respect if they went against you. this was no institution, this was sanioura's inconstitutional government trying to dismantle hezbollah and thinking it would as easy as issuing a decree. he should have been hanged then, HA was too nice.
27 December 2013, 19:37
00
then mooowaten:
suppress any for of gvt
suppress all the laws, decrees that a gvt issues
suppress the parliament
suppress the tribunal, the judiciary
they all might one day or another go against you or your ideas! it is what one calls a STATE!
then you ll be sure to act as you want... LOL
sinioura WAS the PM and as such CAN act by decree: it is in the law right or wrong?
so a citizen must abide by the law and if he is not satisfied then he waits for the new election to fire the gvt!
but what would you know about lebanese law other than the one set by HA... little traitor....
27 December 2013, 12:22
32
Lakis was a soldiar in a party in war.. Chateh is a politician.. All death is deplorable but don't compare please a litle descency...
27 December 2013, 12:24
33
U know FT ur problem is with all those that are not in march 8 ideology, there is other people in lebanon if u like it or not and those people are being targeted since marwan hmedeh... But here again why bother...
27 December 2013, 12:30
21
It Seems like you follow what is going on in Syria very closely!!! What does your statement add to killing Moderate people?
Most of the people that you defend are not moderate at all as everyone knows... What should, we the moderate people on the side, think should happen to your people?
27 December 2013, 12:30
21
why judge? you already seem to know all the facts and you have the verdict ready.
27 December 2013, 13:53
22
@Mowaten : Hezbollah blames Israel even before bombs go off... and you dare talk about "having a verdict" ?
This has HA signature and modus operandi all over it.
This is HA's message : "you will not have a government, you will not have any elections. The country is ours whether you like it or not..."
We, the Lebanese people (not M14) will not let HA control anything more than the opinion of their sheep.
This calls for immediate action to create a government excluding all M8 hypocrites by tomorrow.
27 December 2013, 14:35
21
yea signature and all. of course. what was i thinking? between terrorist and flamecatcher we clearly have a winning team! what one doesnt have in brains the other compensates with stupidity!
27 December 2013, 12:42
12
محمد شطح كان معتدلا ومنطفيا ويتحدث بعقلانية بعيدا عن لغة الانفعال والشتم والتعنيف كما هو الحال ببعض المسؤولين الاخرين, ما تكلم يلغة الاستفزاز ولا التحريض الطائفي. بل كان لبناني وطني بريد لبنان لبنيه. مستقلا ومستقرا.
.......
هذا خير دليل ان الذي قتله هو عدوه
وعدو محمد شطح عدو الاعتدال وعدو الاستقرار وعدو العقلانية.
وسيعلم اللذين ظلموا أي منقلب يسنقلبون... حسبي الله
أعزي جميع المعتدلين.
27 December 2013, 12:53
22
FT you're splitting hairs. Lakis was a gunman. Granted, a gunman of rank, but a gunman nevertheless.
27 December 2013, 13:30
22
OK, let me clarify: The M14 people who were assassinated were, at the time of their death, politicians. Lakis on the other hand was a combatant. He was actively, militarily fighting the Syrian opposition and Israel. Comparing Lakis' assassination to that of politicians is like comparing apples to oranges (no pun intended).
27 December 2013, 12:58
21
You State that you are anti democracy and you are for extremism. Well than you should not be voicing freely your opinion on this forum.
27 December 2013, 13:00
32
Southern m14 politicians have been systematically targeted to eliminate a political side that is opposing the Syrian and Iranian hegemony on Lebanon
27 December 2013, 14:00
20
Al bouti, Allah irahmo, was killed by Assad. His daughter clearly said he disapproved Assad's massacres. He was killed in Damascus in Mazraa, not Aleppo Einstein.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FiCVpmnv-Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0prPVB4jG0Y
27 December 2013, 14:02
22
'how can a moderate party support nusra and qaeda in its areas: tripoli, arsal and saida, instead of the lebanese army?'
BS
27 December 2013, 14:11
21
thriving and mouth foaming on the death of a lebanese moderate politician...
poor FPMer syrian lackey.... you are just not worth to be lebanese... you d better take the syrian nationality as you adore dictatorships... i bet you distributed baklavas in your neighboorhood! LOL
idiot you are idiot you ll stay....
27 December 2013, 15:01
21
FT flooding Naharnet to protect his syro-iranian masters.
I hope they pay u in dollar and not in rial or lira...
27 December 2013, 18:48
11
this has nothing to do with protecting syria or iran, it's about protecting lebanon against those who are trying to push us into civil war.
27 December 2013, 15:56
21
learn your english FT... it will avoid you from appearing ridiculous as always... besides it is the only lame argument you find, seems you cannot counter mine... as usual.. so you resort to attacking the person instead of his writings...
typical behavior of a drone without anything to say just to try and appear smarter...
refrain, it ll spare you from looking stupid as usual....
27 December 2013, 19:39
00
sure FT sure... keep on the insults, it is the only thing you are good at, because the rest is inexistant... scatologic baby boy....
27 December 2013, 19:41
10
oh! so shatah was arming the takfiris and was owned by KSA...
poor boy...
27 December 2013, 21:54
00
Chatah's last tweet, posted about an hour before his death.
"#Hezbollah is pressing hard to be granted similar powers in security & foreign policy matters that Syria exercised in Lebanon for 15 yrs,"
