Hariri Slams Bassil, Rules Out Trade with Syria

Ex-PM Saad Hariri on Tuesday criticized Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil's latest statements and ruled out a restoration of Lebanon's commercial ties with Syria.

“We are all Lebanese. Until when will we keep talking about the rights of each sect? FPM chief Jebran Bassil spoke about Christians and if we continue this way of thinking and this racism, the rights of both Muslims and Christians will be lost,” Hariri said in a chat with reporters at the Center House.

Commenting on the thorny issue of electricity, Hariri said: “Bassil said the problem has been running since 1974 and I say since 1988. Let him not talk about history because I can also talk about it. Why hasn't an electricity regulatory commission been appointed? And where is the board of directors?”

As for “the attack on political Harirism,” Hariri wondered if some parties want to put his father, slain ex-PM Rafik Hariri, on trial.

“We want the corrupts to go to jail but the corrupts cannot send the decent people to jail,” Hariri added.

Referring to Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh's recent press conference, the former premier said: “Franjieh is honest and people have this impression about him... and they believed everything that he said in his press conference.”

As to Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's call for bigger economic cooperation with Syria, Hariri said “Syria's market is important if there is an existent regime.”

“But turning our economic system into a system that resembles the one in Syria is out of the question,” Hariri added.

As for cross-border smuggling, the ex-PM said: “I failed to seal the border because there were interests between Syrians and those who work with them, among them Hizbullah. They were stronger than me.”