Berri says Hezbollah arms not behind assassinations

MP Elias Hankash of the Kataeb Party said Thursday in an address before parliament that “the issue of illegitimate weapons is neither a theoretical issue nor an ordinary political dispute.”

"It has been rather linked in the collective conscience of the Lebanese people to a series of assassinations that claimed the life of martyr (ex-)PM Rafik Hariri, as well as national leaders from the March 14 forces who were colleagues in this parliament, including Pierre Gemayel, Gebran Tueni, Walid Eido and Mohammad Chatah, in addition to security officials such as Wissam al-Hassan, Samer Hanna and others,” Hankash said.

He added that “these weapons were also linked to the May 7 (2008) clashes, the violations that undermined civil peace, the smuggling, narcotics and Captagon networks, and the erosion of the state's image, economy and security.”

Hezbollah MPs objected against Hankash’s remarks, demanding that he unveil the investigation results regarding the killing of ex-minister Pierre Gemayel and asking him which weapons he was referring to.

This prompted the intervention of Speaker Nabih Berri, telling Hankash: “The weapons you are talking about are not the weapons of the Resistance."