Mustaqbal: Those Calling for Holding Saqr Accountable Must First Hold Hizbullah Accountable

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday said those calling for holding MP Oqab Saqr accountable over his role in aiding the Syrian opposition “must first hold accountable Hizbullah” over its role in aiding the regime, urging “the enthusiastic youths in Lebanon not to enter Syria to support any side militarily.”

"Those who are raising the issue of taking legal measures against MP Oqab Saqr and demanding that his parliamentary immunity be lifted must first hold accountable Hizbullah and its officials, especially its secretary-general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who has publicly and repeatedly spoken of Hizbullah's military role in Syria, where it is sending fighters and weapons and offering support, combat expertise and ammunition to the Syrian regime and its gangs,” the bloc said.

“There is no comparison between those who are standing by the executioner and those who are standing by the victim, between those who are supporting the murderer and the slaughterer and those who are offering support to the slaughtered Syrian people,” the bloc added in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.

General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi tasked on Tuesday the Central Criminal Investigations Bureau with examining audio recordings implicating MP Saqr in the transfer of arms to Syria.

The state-run National News Agency said that Madi tasked the bureau with studying the audio recordings of Saqr to take the necessary decisions in light of the Lebanese regulations and the bilateral treaties with the Syrian government.

The MP admitted on Monday that a three-part series on recordings published in al-Akhbar newspaper were authentic. The taped conversations reveal that Saqr and Abou Nehman, a “leader in the armed Syrian opposition,” were carrying out a weapons deal.

Nasrallah has denied supporting the Syrian regime militarily, clarifying that several Hizbullah fighters have been killed while defending Lebanese-inhabited border towns inside Syria.

Hizbullah's leader has explained that there are 23 Syrian border towns and 12 farms that are inhabited by Lebanese residents of various religious beliefs, noting that around 30,000 Lebanese residents live in these towns.

Commenting on the recent killing of Lebanese Islamist fighters in the Syrian town of Tal Kalakh, al-Mustaqbal bloc described the incident as a "tragedy" and extended condolences to the families of the slain men.

The bloc called on "the enthusiastic youths in Lebanon not to enter Syria to support any side militarily, as the Syrian people do not need fighters but rather humanitarian and media support," noting that "Syria's men know their country better than anyone else."

"The first responsibility in this tragedy falls on the Lebanese government which – ever since the beginning of the revolution in Syria -- has ignored all stances, demands and appeals on the need to deploy the Lebanese army on Lebanon's northern and eastern borders in order to protect Lebanese sovereignty from the attacks of the Syrian regime's army and shabiha and to prevent infiltration from Lebanon into Syria and vice versa,” the bloc added.

It noted that the “second responsibility falls on Hizbullah and its secretary-general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who has openly declared that Hizbullah fighters were sent to fight alongside the Syrian regime's army inside Syria, which aggravated the state of tension many youths are living and gave them the excuse to act out of their enthusiasm to support the aggrieved in the face of the tyrant.”

Turning to President Michel Suleiman's call for national dialogue, the bloc said “Hizbullah blew up all the grounds for resuming dialogue through undermining the self-disassociation policy this government is claiming to have endorsed while it is implementing it in a selective way."

"Hizbullah's announcement that it is sending warriors to fight alongside the Syrian regime has deepened the crisis of confidence regarding the use of dialogue during this period, and therefore the resignation of the Lebanese government has become a necessary introduction to any step that can be taken to exit the dangerous dilemma created by the government on all levels,” the bloc added.

It said forming a neutral salvation government would give the country a positive opportunity to “move forward, confront the aggravating economic recession and financial deficit, contain the rising tensions and pave the ground for the upcoming parliamentary elections.”