Hariri to Nasrallah: Protectors of Rafik Hariri's Assassins Mustn’t Discuss His History

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri stated on Saturday that those “protecting the killers of late PM Rafik Hariri have no right to talk about his history”.

Hariri's Twitter statement came as a response to Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's Saturday speech during which he said the late PM was supportive of the party's arms until “peace was reached in the Middle East”.

"Hariri had told me he would resign from the premiership to avoid being in conflict with Hizbullah,” Nasrallah stated during the commemoration of the party's “martyr leaders”.

Hizbullah's leader lashed out at Saad Hariri, accusing him of trying to strike a settlement over backing him for the premiership.

He revealed: “You proposed to neutralize the arms of the resistance if we agreed to support you as a premier”.

“We will not support you because we want a president who is present in Lebanon,” he expressed.

Referring to Hizbullah's controversial arsenal of weapons, Hariri had said on Thursday during the March 14 commemoration of late PM Hariri that “today, every Lebanese is able to see that the problem is not a fatal mistake in (the Bekaa town of) Arsal, the problem lies in fatal weapons widespread across Lebanon, because there is a mini-state more powerful than the state.

Hariri had also addressed the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, saying: “But is it possible that Hizbullah continues to bury its head in the sand and refuses to see the state of anxiety, alienation and division that exists in the Islamic arena as a result of its refusal to hand over the suspects. Is it possible that Hizbullah refuses until now to hand over the accused in the assassination attempt against (MP) Butros Harb?”

Four Hizbullah members have been named suspects by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the Beirut truck bombing that killed Hariri and 21 others on Feb. 14 , 2005.