Hezbollah Denounces US Decision against MP Al-Sayyed: A Politically-Motivated Targeting of His Patriotism

 October 31, 2021

Translated by Staff, Hezbollah Media Relations

Hezbollah denounces the American decision against MP al-Sayyed saying it is a politically motivated targeting of his patriotism and decisive stances in the struggle with the enemy.

Hezbollah issued the following statement:

The American decision issued against His Excellency MP Major General Jamil al-Sayyed is unjust, dubious and condemned. It is a clear politically-motivated targeting of the persona of MP al-Sayyed, his patriotism and his clear and decisive stances on national issues, particularly in the conflict with the “Israeli” enemy, the defense of Lebanon’s sovereignty and dignity, and the project of building a real country.

The coherent and solid presentation that MP al-Sayyed presented at yesterday’s [Friday, October 29, 2021] press conference, the questions he asked, as well as the evidence and documents he demanded constitute a strong argument in the face of all those oppressors who offended him, and who and what he represents.

We, in Hezbollah, condemn and denounce this new American aggression. We see it as badge of honor worn by MP Jamil al-Sayyed, proving his firm presence at the forefront of the free fighters who defend the honor of this nation in the face of hegemony, humiliation and arrogance that the Great Satan exercises every day.

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جميل السيّد مدافعاً بالهجوم: فيلتمان خائف!

الجمعة 29 تشرين الأول 2021

الأخبار

ظهر النائب جميل السيد، اليوم، في مؤتمر صحافي من مجلس النواب خصّصه للرد على إدراج الخزانة الأميركية اسمه في العقوبات، كمن يحاصر «معاقبه» بجملة نقاط اتخذ بها وضعية الهجوم بدل الدفاع عن «براءته». ففي معرض تفنيد خلفيات التدخّل الأميركي، كشف أن أصدقاءه الأجانب من سفراء وغيرهم، كانوا ينقلون له باستمرار انزعاج الأميركي منه، وأنه في الفترة الأخيرة «نصحه أحدهم بالانتباه، كونه بدأ يتحدّاهم ولم يعد يزعجهم فقط، وذلك على خلفية تحضيره منذ 6 أشهر لدعوى في الأمم المتحدة للمطالبة بتعويض واعتذار عن فترة اعتقاله لمدة 4 سنوات في قضية اغتيال الرئيس رفيق الحريري». وعزا إدراجه على العقوبات إلى «جملة تراكمات… ومن عجّل بالقرار هو جيفري فيلتمان السفير الأميركي الأسبق في لبنان، والمبعوث الأميركي الحالي للقرن الأفريقي، كون ملفّاته التي ستصل إلى الأمم المتحدة تثبت أن سفيراً عمل لسنوات على اعتقال رجل أمني في لبنان اعتقالاً سياسياً».

ورفض المدير العام الأسبق للأمن العام استخدام كلمة «أنا بريء» لاعتباره أنها تنمّ عن ضعف وأنه ليس بمعرض الدفاع عن النفس، مؤكداً أنه لن يتراجع عن الدعوى التي في صدد تحضيرها وتقديمها في الأمم المتحدة لطلب التعويض والاعتذار عن فترة اعتقاله في قضية الحريري. واكتفى بتفنيد نواقص وخلفيات قرار الخزانة التي اتهمته بالاستفادة من الفساد المستشري في البلد لضرب سيادة القانون، طارحاً جملة أسئلة: «إن كان تحويل الـ 120 مليون دولار الذي تتهمونني به قد تم بالفعل، فسيتم عبر مصرف. فمن أي مصرفٍ تم التحويل؟ وإلى أين؟ متى وكيف؟ وأين المستندات؟ ومن هو المسؤول الحكومي الذي ساعدني في ذلك، ومن المفترض أنه شريكي في التحويل؟». وعن الاستثمار الخارجي الذي تحدّث عنه القرار، سأل: «ما هو هذا الاستثمار الخارجي؟ ولماذا اكتفيتم بعناوين عامة كهذه، في حين أن إدانتكم للآخرين كانت بالأرقام؟».

واستعان اللواء السيد بسرد تاريخي للسنوات السابقة، وتحديداً بمظلومية السجن لسنوات أربع في قضية اغتيال الرئيس رفيق الحريري، فذكّر أنه بين الأعوام «2005 – 2009 كان مكشوف السرية المصرفية وخضع للتدقيق الدولي، واضطرت عائلتي إلى الاقتراض في حينها». وبين الأعوام «2005 و2018، لم يكن لديّ مسؤولية في الدولة، وكنت أقاتل المحكمة الدولية من جيبي»، مضيفاً: «في عام 2018 أصبحت نائباً لا مسؤولية تنفيذية لديّ، لكني أقاتل الجميع وعلى رأسهم النظام المصرفي».

تحصّن الرجل بجيشٍ ممن سمّاهم «الشهود» على حفاظه على القانون وسيادته. إذ اعتبر أن كل المواطنين اللبنانيين هم شهوده، كذلك ضباط وقادة وعناصر الجيش والأمن العام. وفي الشهود أيضاً: «البطريرك الماروني مار نصر الله بطرس صفير – المعادي لسوريا – حين استثنى الأمن العام خلال إدانته للفساد». وقد اتخذ من السفارات الأجنبية وعلى رأسها الأميركية «التي كان تواصلها يوميّاً مع الأمن العام وأمنها وأمن رعاياها مرتبط به»، شاهدةً بدورها. وطالب بمنحه تأشيرة للذهاب إلى الولايات المتحدة: «أريد مقارعتكم في عقر داركم»، متحدّياً الجانب الأميركي أنه في حال إثبات تحويله مبلغ 120 مليون دولار إلى الخارج، سيذهب نصفه إلى تمويل البطاقة التمويلية والنصف الآخر لإنماء منطقة بعلبك الهرمل.

وفي معرض تأكيد الخلفيات السياسية للقرار، توجّه إلى السفيرة دوروثي شيا، بالقول: «من هو مع إسرائيل فهو معكم، ومن هو ضد إسرائيل فهو ضدكم. تتشرّفين بزيارة ومصافحة أركان الدولة الملطّخة أيديهم بالدماء، وفي الوقت عينه تدّعي أميركا محاربة الفساد في لبنان»، مؤكداً إيمانه بالمقاومة «المحصورة في لبنان»، قبل أن يستدرك موضحاً: «لم تفرض عليّ العقوبات فقط لأنني ضد إسرائيل، إلا أن موقفي هو جزء من خلفيات القرار».

أمّا في ما يخصّ تهمة التحريض «على قتل متظاهري انتفاضة 17 تشرين»، فذكّر السيد أنه وفي كلمة من مجلس النواب اعتبر أن «من يهدّد حرمة منزله ويحاول اقتحامه كما فعل المتظاهرون يومها يستحق إطلاق النار، كدعوة لكل مواطن يتهدّد أمنه وأمن عائلته»، مضيفاً «لم أطلب بشكل رسمي من جهاز أمني أو أي مسؤول قتل الناس».

وبدا لافتاً أن السيد تقصّد عدم الحديث عن رجلَي المقاولات؛ «متعهّد الجمهورية» جهاد العرب، وصاحب إمبراطورية خوري للمقاولات داني خوري، اللذين أدرجت الخزانة الأميركية اسميهما على لائحة عقوباتها إلى جانبه.

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جميل السيّد

https://youtu.be/4d9b6sr3IFs

يونيو 8, 2018

ناصر قنديل

– لأيام متتالية يتحدث النائب اللواء جميل السيد من منصة الشهود في المحكمة الدولية التي أنشئت لاستكمال مهمة من اغتالوا الرئيس رفيق الحريري بتوجيه الاتهام لكل من سورية والمقاومة. والواضح من متابعة الشهادة وما يُدلي به اللواء السيد وكيفية تفاعل المحكمة وأركانها مع شهادته أنه قد نجح بصورة لا لبس فيها في توظيف هذه المنصّة بقوة الحقائق التي يُدلي بها مقابل كمية الأكاذيب التي جرى التفوّه بها من هذه المنصة نفسها على ألسنة شهود الخمسة نجوم الذين استُجلبوا إليها لمنح المصداقية لكميات الكذب المبرمج الذي فقد مصداقيته مع سقوط شهود الزور، الذين طبعوا مرحلة لجنة التحقيق الدولية، بمثل ما طبعت شهادات السياسيين اللبنانيين مرحلة عمل المحكمة، ولأن هؤلاء السياسيين يعرفون أنّ جميل السيد يعرف، وأنّه يعرف أنّهم يعرفون، وأنّهم يعرفون أنّه يعرف أنّهم يعرفون، فلن يجرؤ أحد منهم على مساجلته بدقة ما قال أو بصدقه أو بكونه الحقيقة التي يملك السيد الكثير مما يقوله لتأييده لو تجرأ أيّ من هؤلاء على الطعن بواقعة واحدة مما قال.

– جوهر ما ترتكز عليه إفادة اللواء السيد هو تقديم صورة مغايرة لعلاقة الرئيس رفيق الحريري بكل من سورية وحزب الله عشية اغتياله على خلفية ما ترتب على صدور القرار الأممي 1559 الذي دعا للانسحاب السوري من لبنان ونزع سلاح المقاومة. والصورة التي رسمت من منصة المحكمة وقرارها الاتهامي محورها، أن سورية وحزب الله كانا مع حلفائهما على ضفة مواجهة القرار الأممي الذي كان الحريري عراباً له، وأنه قتل في قلب هذه المعركة، على خط تماس اسمه قانون الانتخابات والانتخابات النيابية التي صُمّمت لإسقاطه وتحجيمه. فجاء السيد ليقول العكس تماماً أن الحريري كان في قلب جبهة سورية وحلفائها، رغم خلافه مع الرئيس إميل لحود، ورغم علاقاته القوية بالغرب الذي وقف وراء القرار 1559.

– من موقعي كواحد من قلائل واكبوا عن قرب تفاصيل تلك المرحلة، ولم ينجُ من الاتهام بالشراكة في اغتيال الرئيس الحريري، في اليوم ذاته لتوقيف اللواء السيد ورفاقه الثلاثة في 30 آب 2005، ومداهمة منزلي وإعلاني مشتبهاً به خامساً في مؤتمر صحافي مشترك للرئيس فؤاد السنيورة ورئيس لجنة التحقيق الدولية ديتليف ميليس، سأورد بعضاً مما قلته للجنة الدولية التي قابلت محققيها في ذلك اليوم نفسه، عندما تحدّيْت اللجنة في مؤتمر صحافي عقدته على الحدود اللبنانية السورية، عائداً من دمشق لقناعتي أن مداهمة منزلي وإعلاني مشتبهاً به في الاغتيال يهدفان لبقائي فيها تمهيداً لملاحقتها، وفقاً للفصل السابع بتهمة إيواء مطلوبين للتحقيق.

– في الإفادة التي امتدت لإثنتي عشرة ساعة متصلة من الخامسة بعد الظهر إلى الخامسة صباحاً، تحوّلت من مشتبه به إلى شاهد، بعدما نصح أصدقاء اللجنة من يقف وراءها بالتراجع عن اتهامي لأن قرار مجيئي من دمشق إلى بيروت وتحدّي اللجنة أكسبني براءتي أمام الرأي العام، ومواصلة الاتهام ستُضعف مصداقية اللجنة وصدقية اتهاماتها الأخرى. أطلعت اللجنة على وقائع لقائي الأخير بالرئيس رفيق الحريري في الرابع من شباط 2005 بناء على طلبه، لمناقشة ما قال إنها أمور وطنية يعتقد بأنني لن أتاخر عن تلبية دعوته، مضيفاً بعرف أنك زعلان من الكلام عن ودائع سورية بس أنت ما بتوقف عند قصص صغيرة قدام القصص الكبيرة ، فلبّيت دعوته صبيحة السبت 4 شباط رغم الفتور الذي ساد علاقتنا بعد الذي نُقل عن لسانه، ولمدة ساعتين تناقشنا وانتهينا بشبه اتفاق. تحدّيت اللجنة أن تسترجع تسجيلات ذلك اللقاء في منزل الرئيس الحريري والذي شارك في دقائق منه اللواء وسام الحسن الذي كان في صلب عمل اللجنة تلك الأيام، طالباً أخذ إفادته حول صحة ما أقول، ومقارنة كلامي عن وقائع هذه الجلسة بما تقوله التسجيلات.

– كان محور كلام الرئيس الحريري طلب تفسير التناقض الصارخ بين موقفي المعلَن في كل منبر عن رفض مشروع قانون الانتخابات النيابية الذي يقوم على القضاء ويتبنّاه الرئيس لحود والوزير سليمان فرنجية كوزير للداخلية، وبين ما قيل للرئيس الحريري أنه مشروع الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد لتحجيمه، ليدخل في الموضوع، الذي من أجله اللقاء. فقلت للرئيس الحريري الجواب بسيط. وهو أنني أرسلت بطلب موقف الرئيس الأسد مما يُشاع عن القانون، وأبديت رأيي بهذا المشروع. وكان الجواب أن الرئيس الأسد على الحياد، طالما حلفاء سورية منقسمون حول القانون. فالرئيس لحود والوزير فرنجية يريدانه والرئيس نبيه بري وحزب الله يعارضانه، والجواب هو أن لا إحراج لسورية في أن يختار أيّ من أصدقائها أو حلفائها أحد الخيارين، لتكون دهشة الرئيس الحريري مضيفاً، إذن أنا فايت بالحيط ، بافتراض معركة مع سورية والرئيس الأسد حول القانون. ويُضيف هل من فرصة برأيك لترميم جبهة حلفاء سورية حول موقف موحّد، وأجيب بالتأكيد.

– في تلك الجلسة قرّر الحريري أن يبادر للتذكير بموقفه الرافض للقرار 1559 عبر نشر كلام منسوب إليه في الصفحة الأولى من جريدة السفير ليوم السبت 5 شباط تحت عنوان صغناه معاً الـ 1559 يُقسِم اللبنانيين والطائف يوحّدهم ، وتوافقنا على قيامه بمناقشة تفصيلية لصيغ قانون الانتخاب مع السيد حسن نصرالله، الذي كان خيار الرئيس الحريري أن يتابع معه، وقمت بعد هذه الجلسة بنقل ما دار فيها للرئيس بري والسيد نصرالله وأرسلت مضمونَها للرئيس الأسد وتلقيتُ تشجيعاً وتأييداً للمتابعة، فيما أبلغني السيد نصرالله أنّه سيتابع عبر القنوات القائمة مع الرئيس الحريري هذا الطلب، وبعد أيام جرى اغتيال الرئيس الحريري، وكشف السيد نصرالله بعدها علناً عن لقاء جمعهما، وعن ترتيبات للقاء يجمع الرئيس الحريري بالرئيس الأسد.

– تستحق إفادة اللواء السيد التقدير لقيمتها السياسية الهامة في منح الرواية الحقيقية لكون اغتيال الرئيس الحريري محاولة اغتيال لسورية وللمقاومة، وتوظيفاً لدماء الرئيس الحريري في تطبيق القرار 1559 الذي رفض منح مكانته وزعامته لتنفيذه، فصار دمه أهمّ من حياته، حتى لدى صديق شخصي له كالرئيس الفرنسي جاك شيراك، وصار لسان حال حلفائه بعد اغتياله، ليس مهماً مَن قام بالاغتيال، المهم أنه بات ممكناً توظيف حرارة الاغتيال للانتقام من الخصوم، ومَن يُجنّد شهود زور أو يصمت على تجنيدهم، لا يمكن أن تكون الحقيقة هدفاً له.

– قال لهم جميل السيد استحوا… أم أن اللي استحوا ماتوا؟ .

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Three Reasons Why Syria's Man in Lebanon Was Arrested

Former Lebanese Information Minister Michel Samaha. (photo by REUTERS/ Khaled al-Hariri)

By:Elias Muhanna posted on Thursday, Aug 9, 2012

What to make of today’s arrest of former Lebanese minister Michel Samaha?

The silver-tongued politician, well-known for his close ties to the Syrian government and its allies in Lebanon, was arrested Thursday morning at his home in a Beirut neighborhood. A group of police officers reportedly stormed the apartment at dawn, while the couple was still in their pajamas, “armed as though they were going to go liberate something,” said Samaha’s wife, Gladys.

Within a few hours, a Lebanese TV station was reporting that Samaha had confessed under interrogation that he had participated in a plan to transfer “explosives from Syria to Lebanon in order to carry out bombings in North Lebanon, particularly in the area of Akkar, with Syria’s knowledge.”

As of the time this post went to press, no official word had come out regarding the reasons for Samaha’s detainment or his alleged confession.

In the meantime, though, here are three reasons to pay close attention to this story:

1. This doesn’t happen in Lebanon.

Yes, we all remember the days when high-ranking security officials were dragged into custody by the Lebanese armed forces because of their alleged involvement in the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri.

But that was then and this is now. The likelihood that a figure with Samaha’s profile (and connections) could be unceremoniously tossed in the back of paddy wagon without a shred of evidence is very slim. Leaks suggest that the Internal Security Forces (ISF), had gathered substantial evidence of Samaha’s involvement in the alleged plot including telecoms, video and audio surveillance, and witness testimony. If the evidence is thin, there are going to be major consequences.

On the other hand, there is something implausible about the story. Even if one were to assume that the alleged plot existed and that Samaha had knowledge of it, it seems highly unlikely that he would have been involved on an operational level.

2. The fragility of the Lebanese government.



The current Lebanese government, headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati, is already looking very fragile as it is. Divisions in recent weeks between its main primary bloc leaders over such issues as Lebanon’s energy policy have softened the ground for a potential walk-out. This was before the cabinet approved a controversial new electoral law based on proportional representation that seems doomed to die in Parliament.

With the arrest of Samaha, Prime Minister Mikati has significantly gone out on a limb. If Hezbollah decides to demand Samaha’s release on pain of the government’s collapse, Mikati will have few cards to play. On the one hand, he will find it politically impossible to go against the ISF, given that Samaha is being accused of involvement in a plot to sow strife in Sunni areas. Mikati, who has long been painted by the Future Movement (Lebanon’s main Sunni party, currently sitting in opposition) as a fig leaf for Syria and Iran’s allies, is eager to maintain his bonafides as a leader in the Sunni community. Being seen as kowtowing to Hezbollah would be political suicide for Mikati less than a year before the next parliamentary elections.

On the other hand, if Hezbollah keeps mum about Samaha’s arrest, Mikati will come off looking like a crime-busting superhero.

3. A sectarian rumble looming in Lebanon’s security services?

Samaha was arrested by the ISF, the leadership of which is said to be under the sway of the Future Movement. Within minutes of the incident, Samaha’s friends and associates were calling it a brazen political move.

Jamil al-Sayyid, the former director of the General Security Service who endured a years-long detainment for suspected, but never proven, links to the Hariri assassination, railed today against Samaha’s arrest.

He pointed out, among other things, that the arrest last May of an Islamist named Shadi al-Mawlawi threw the Sunni community into a fit, mainly because the arrest was carried out by the General Security Service, which is seen as being close to Hezbollah.

How can someone like Samaha be dealt with so crudely, al-Sayyid demanded, when a nobody like Shadi al-Mawlawi could be promptly released with an apology?

There seems to be a hidden war taking place between Lebanon’s military-intelligence branches. So far, there have been few public casualties of that war, but if the stakes keep rising as they did today, that may change rapidly.

Elias Muhanna is an assistant professor at Brown University and the author of QifaNabki.com, a blog on Levantine political affairs. Follow him on Twitter @QifaNabki

Saad al-Hariri Caught On Tape with “False Witness” Muhammad Zuhair al-Siddiq

• Intelligence Branch Arrests Former Minister Michel Semaha
• Former Lebanese MP Michel Samaha arrested
• The Hariri Investigation and the Politics of Perception

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The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

’’Al Jadeed’’ TV Broadcasts new ’’Truth Leaks’’ Series Thursday - Al-Manar TV Refutes Hariri’s Claim His Father Paid the Costs of Sharaa Treatment

Local Editor

Deputy News and Political Program Manager at Aljadeed TV, Karma Khayyat, revealed that new recordings will be broadcasted starting Thursday, part of the "Truth Leaks" series broadcasted earlier on the assassination of former PM Rafiq Hariri.

The recordings to be broadcasted are expected to include, fist of all, a five-hour recording for former Defense Minister Elias El Murr, followed by others for former MP Eli Ferezli, Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed, and false witness Hussam Hussam.

In an interview with Sawt Al Mada radio, Khayyat confirmed that her TV station possesses the recordings for some time now, but the examination of the sounds and voices took some time before becoming ready to be broadcasted.

Concerning what Special Tribunal for Lebanon's General Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said, claiming that broadcasting these leaks is considered to be a breach of law, Khayyat said that Bellemare should look for the breach inside the tribunal, clarifying that those were official documents that were leaked to public.

In this context, Karma Khayyat referred that the CBC news and other Medias that leaked information about the STL investigations, have breached the law.

Karma stated that she is ready for any investigation on this level, but stressed that the source will not be revealed.

Al-Manar TV Refutes Hariri’s Claim His Father Paid the Costs of Sharaa Treatment

19/01/2011 “My father did not like [Syrian Vice President] Farouq al-Sharaa.. The people do not feel friendly towards him and my father in spite of that bear the costs of his treatment when he came from Damascus to the American University Hospital. My father was very tense and asked his private doctors to treat him and they were the best doctors despite the Sharaa had always had political problems with my father,” Head of the caretaker government Saad Hariri was recorded as saying during a sit-down with a UN investigator.

Al-Jadeed Channel broadcast late Sunday Hariri’s recorded sit-down with UN investigator Lajmi Mohammad Ali on July 30, 2007, which was authenticated by Hariri’s office.



Hariri’s statement was refuted by Al-Manar TV that “Hariri simply invented not only political facts but also personal ones that didn’t even happen.”

Al-Manar obtained a copy of the check, that worth thirty thousand dollars, that Sharaa had paid for the hospital on December 8, 1999.

The hospital rejected the check considering that it’s an honor that Sharaa being treated in the hospital. But he didn’t accept this gesture since the Syrian government doesn’t accept such a gesture from a non-governmental side. So, the Syrian Vice President donated the money to the University’s scholarships fund.

The story did not end at this point, said the report yesterday, another document, which is a formal letter from the American University in Beirut to Sharaa, on the same date, in which it thanked him for the donation and hoped he get well soon.

When mini-Hariri grovels before Prince Muhammad Bin Nayif

As-Safir today reported that mini-Hariri issued this statement apologizing to Prince Muhammad Bin Nayif after the latter refused to answer many calls from the former.  Here is the Hariri-owned Daily Star: "“No one can put in the mouth of Prime Minister [Saad] Hariri a word against this man [Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef] … who is a model to follow in terms of qualifications, activeness and success and who hails from a great family dedicated to serving their country and Arab causes,” the statement added."

Posted by As'ad at 8:59 AM

• Saad al-Hariri Caught On Tape with “False Witness” Muhammad Zuhair al-Siddiq
• New TV has its own Audio-LEAKS: EXPLOSIVE - STL Indictment Likely to Be Submitted Monday…

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Sayyed: Bellemare Making Fun of Half of Lebanese Population

23/12/2010 Former General Security chief Major General Jamil Sayyed criticized on Thursday Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare's recent statements over the tribunal, saying that Bellemare is simplifying matters and is making fun of more than half the Lebanese population and the majority of the Arab and international public that believe that international justice is politicized.

In a statement released by his press office, Sayyed wondered what would prevent the STL from being politicized the same way the international investigation commission was. "The international investigation is similar to the international tribunal as they have both been formed by the UN Security Council and where they both include international and Lebanese judges."

Concerning Bellemare's labeling of false witnesses as "unreliable witnesses", the former General Security chief said that such wordplay will not alter the truth or the results that Bellemare knows too well and which is that those false witnesses were a product of a Lebanese and international conspiracy that wasted four years of the investigation and led Lebanon to the brink of a civil war.

Bellemare: Indictment Will Be Supported by Credible Evidence

23/12/2010 "I will not bring an indictment to the Pre-Trial Judge unless I'm morally convinced and unless I feel that there is at least a reasonable prospect for conviction of the person, so that's the kind of the framework within which I operate," Special Tribunal for Lebanon Danielle Bellemare announced.

In a video titled "What is the role of the Prosecutor," which seemed to engage into the political debate over the so-called ‘independent’ tribunal, Bellemare rejected the political aspect of his court as ‘groundless’. "The fact that this institution was created by a political body or the fact that we operate in a highly politicized environment does not mean that we are politicized," he clarified.

The STL Prosecutor said that he has a very heavy responsibility to make sure that whatever charges he brings to the Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen for confirmation is fully supported by the evidence. "The evidence that I need to use is the 'prima facie' evidence - that u have some evidence that the person you charge has committed the crime."

Tackling the issue of the "false witnesses," Bellemare admitted that he has never used the expression 'false witnesses', adding that he favors to use the expression unreliable witness. "It is important to clarify that the indictment, once it is sent to Pre-Trial Judge for confirmation, will be based on credible evidence," he pointed out. He stressed that if witnesses appear to be unreliable, the Office of the Prosecutor "will not rely on their testimony."

As to what kind of evidence the prosecutor can use to prove his case, Bellemare said that he’s looking at evidence that is admissible. "We're looking at all types of evidence, whether it is a documentary evidence, whether it is witness statements or witness testimonies, or whether it is forensic evidence."

"So everything goes, as long as it is admissible, because I want to put together a case that is as solid as possible, keeping in mind that at trial I have to discharge a very high burden of proving the culpability of the accused beyond reasonable doubt," Bellemare added.

The STL Prosecutor highlighted the importance of "independence and professionalism" in the work of the Office of the Prosecutor, the judges and other STL employees. "I stressed earlier what it meant to be independent – that I don't take any instruction from anyone; however, if I allowed myself to be influenced by politics or if I allowed myself to follow instructions given to me by a government or by anybody else, then I would be politicized," he added. "But given the fact that I take my decisions in complete independence, and that these decisions are based only on the evidence - the evidence is my only guide - then I think that those allegations of politicization are groundless."

Bellemare said that such claims are made by "people who may fear the outcome of the tribunal's decision or of the tribunal's effort to uncover the truth."

MP Nkoula: Leaks of Indictment Content Confirms STL Politicization
Jumblatt to As-Safir: Indictment Proven to be Politicized, Threatening to Lebanon

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Bellemare Refuses to Hand in STL Documents to Maj. Gen. As-Sayyed, Says it Jeopardizes National, International Security

Bellemare Refuses to Hand in STL Documents to Maj. Gen. As-Sayyed, Says it Jeopardizes National, International Security

Local Editor

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon's (STL) General Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare refused the request of pre-trial judge Daniel Francine, in which the latter asked Bellemare to hand in false witnesses testimonies to Major General Jamil As-Sayyed.

Francine also asked Bellemare to clarify all legal reasons behind not giving Maj. Gen. As-Sayyed the information he requests.

In this context, Bellemare explained that handing in the information and documents to As-Sayyed would jeopardize and affect the Lebanese national security or the international security.

Bellemare claimed that examining the testimonies could undermine the investigations; adding that this is concerned with protecting the false witnesses.

The STL General Prosecutor also added that exchanging points of views with Lebanese General Prosecutor Saeed Mirza, remains confidential in order to protect the Lebanese security interests.

Sayyed Nasrallah: Bellemare, UN Protecting False Witnesses


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Justice, or a Death Blow for Lebanon?

Source Here

expects to hear the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) deliver indictments in the investigation of ex-Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri's 2005 murder imminently.

Tension is rife as speculators ply their trade, and the country has split into predictable camps -- those who believe the STL is an "Israeli Project" bent on destroying its biggest regional foe, the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, and those who back the Tribunal, possibly also in hopes that it will neuter the ever-growing strength of Hezbollah and its regional allies.

Nobody seems to focus much attention on the actual murder victim and the 22 others who died alongside him in the massive truck bomb five years ago.

Perhaps that is because Lebanon has seen oh so many assassinations in its decades of civil war, invasions and occupations. So what is one more? And why should this one count more than another?
Quite right. The murder of this Lebanese man has come to symbolize so much more -- it is often said that Hariri became "greater" in death than in life.

In identifying through anonymous sources in a May 2009 Der Spiegel article Hezbollah members as the main culprits in the assassination, the STL investigation has drawn the two "blocs" in the Middle East to the political -- and potentially military -- battleground.

Three years of investigations that appeared wholly focused on Syria were thrown by the wayside in early 2009 and the STL's laser beam shifted to Hezbollah. Opportunistically, many say, as Syria began to be courted at the highest levels of government by the West -- away from its regional friends Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.

In the interim, it appeared that those three years of investigations had been embarrassingly unproductive, as the Syria-focus seemed to be borne entirely from the false testimony of discredited witnesses. Not one. Not two. More than a dozen such "false witnesses."

"A Western/American/Israeli plot," yelled half of Lebanon's body politic, demanding a halt to the STL's machinations. Suddenly, the docile, plodding-along cooperation of Syrian and Lebanese authorities with the STL's investigations came to an abrupt halt as questions, suspicions and accusations rose hard and fast to the surface.

What about those false witnesses? What about the one who was spirited away to France under protection? What about the imprisoned al Qaeda operatives who had already confessed to the crime?
The twists and turns in this plot are astounding. Some examples:

The General

Just before the UN Security Council-backed investigation/Commission moved into its "Tribunal" phase in 2009, it ordered the release of four Lebanese generals who had been arrested shortly after Hariri's assassination under suspicion. They were never charged -- or provided with evidence of their involvement. One of them, General Jamil el-Sayyed, the head of General Security and a Syrian ally, was allegedly contacted by senior Commission official Gerhardt Lehman and asked to approach Syrian President Bashar al Assad with a deal:

"The offer," which Sayyed alleges Lehman made on behalf of Commission head Detlev Mehlis, specifically demanded that Assad pony up "a valuable Syrian 'victim' who will confess to the crime for personal or financial reasons -- a victim who will conveniently be found dead later -- and the Commission will strike a deal with the Syrian regime, similar to the one struck with Libya's Qaddafi over Lockerbie."

In a subsequent conversation, Sayyed was warned that non-compliance with this request would result in Sayyed becoming the "victim."

Sayyed had the foresight to tape some of his subsequent phone conversations with Lehman. He sent three of these to the investigative Commission. He never heard back on this issue, nor did the Commission ever request further information or original copies of the taping. But Lehman and his entire team were replaced shortly thereafter, supposedly because of the "false witnesses" fiasco. The players changed, but Sayyed still sat in prison.

Now out of prison and raging with the injustice of it all, Sayyed has launched a one-man legal tsunami against the STL, demanding his "file" so that he may bring to trial false witnesses and others who provided evidence against him in 2005. STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare has fought him all the way, although recent legal wrangling between both parties looks to ensure that Sayyed gets his file shortly.

This case has split the Lebanese Cabinet in the past few weeks. Sayyed wants to take the false witnesses, some Lebanese judges and a few former STL officials to court right now. The pro-STL side of the Cabinet wants to wait for the Tribunal's findings first. The other side says "why wait?"

Nasrallah's Redirection of the Narrative

Since early this summer, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah has been launching his own trial of the STL's credibility and competence. Through a series of well-timed press conferences that have stunned Lebanon, he has broadcast intercepted Israeli video footage following routes commonly taken by Hariri around Beirut and to his other homes in the period before the killing -- and Israeli footage of the actual assassination route (Hariri was driving in a convoy of cars when the blast went off), taken from various angles.

Nasrallah has shown video footage of "known" Israeli spies confessing to actions that fingered Syria in the immediate aftermath of the assassination. And he provided the information that an Israeli AWACS drone was flying near the Beirut coastline for three hours before the Hariri assassination and an hour and a half after the explosion.

Nasrallah has methodically, carefully, almost hypnotically built a counter-case to the STL's suspected evidence that Hezbollah operatives used a network of mobile phones to plan and execute the assassination.

A Telecoms Trojan Horse

Since early 2009, more than 100 alleged Israeli agents/collaborators have been arrested in Lebanon and the infiltration of some of these operatives into the country's telecommunications networks has been a source of serious concern. Israel concluded, after its failed 2006 Lebanon war to destroy Hezbollah, that a key failure of the Jewish state's war strategy was its inability to penetrate the resistance group's communications system.

In May 2008, when -- for a lack of a better word -- the pro-STL element of the Lebanese government ordered Hezbollah to dismantle its private communications network, the resistance group took over Beirut for a few days to underscore its absolute rejection of this demand.

In 2009, after months of post-election wrangling over the formation of a new Lebanese government, one of the hottest points of contention was over which "side" would be awarded the Ministry of Telecommunications -- THAT is how sensitive communications control and infiltration is in Lebanon.

Lebanon's Telecoms Minister Charbel Nahhas said just a few weeks ago that Israel has been capable of altering telecommunications-related data in the country "for a very long time." In a press conference earlier today, Nahhas and others expounded further:

"Israel has set up electronic warfare towers along Lebanon's border and can crack encrypted data, jam communications, view phone subscribers' information, and tap their lines.
Israel "controls information and data packets, and can enter a network, shut down parts and transfer information or delete it."
"They can fabricate calls that originally did not exist."
Israel can obtain information about mobile phone owners, their location, their numbers, and their other phones.
"The network is penetrated at any control point, via a person inside the [phone] company, an agent, or another means."

In light of these facts, it seems unlikely that Hezbollah -- a very early adherent to the battle strategy of foiling the enemy's penetration of communications -- used a bunch of mobile phones to plan a very high-profile assassination.

Two Sides Taking Stock, Circling the Wagons


So, today, a largely Western-backed investigation into a five-year-old murder case that has the ability via the UN Security Council to enforce punishment, is targeting the only successful Arab resistance to Israel, and is basing its evidence on Lebanon's highly-penetrated telecommunications networks... well, that does not sit pretty with one side.

And since 2009 when the STL changed course and lost its credibility with a significant part of the Lebanese population, this seems no longer to be about the man who died. It is a fight between two regional "blocs."
The English-language Daily Star columnist Rami Khouri summed it up well when he wrote recently:

Stripped to its core, this tension between Hezbollah and the STL is a microcosm of the overarching fact of the modern era in which Western-manufactured Arab statehood has generally failed to gain either real traction or sustained credibility; thus it has fallen on groups like Hezbollah to play a leading role in confronting Israeli and Western power in a manner that most Arab governments have been unable or unwilling to do. Therefore we live through this historic but frightening moment when a century of confrontation reaches a pivotal juncture: the collective will of the Western-dominated world (the Security Council-created STL) confronts the strong rejection and public resistance of the only Arab group (Hezbollah) that has forced an Israeli military withdrawal and confounded the Israeli armed forces, while transcending Arabism and Islamism, religiosity and secularism, Arabs and Iranians, Shiites and Sunnis, and assorted Lebanese Christians and Muslims.

The Middle East Rushes to Intervene


Starting this summer, all the major regional players have paid visits to Lebanon to lower the rising temperature around the STL's potential indictments. From the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani -- much beloved for his direct contribution of half a billion dollars to rebuild southern Lebanon after Israel's brutal 2006 war -- to Syrian President Bashar al Assad, to Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz bin Saud, to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Many of these opposing interests have converged in recent months to take on the unenviable task of averting a full-blown Lebanese "crisis" over the STL. Taking the lead are Syria and Saudi Arabia, each a supporter of an opposing Lebanese bloc.

Hezbollah has vowed that it will not tolerate accusations against a single member of it's organization, rejects allegations that it harbors any "rogue elements," and warns against any arrests. The non-sectarian Lebanese Army, a recipient of US military aid, has intimated that it will not arrest any Hezbollah-related suspects charged by the Tribunal.

On the other side, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of the slain former PM, has refused to abandon the STL, even though he met with Nasrallah earlier in the year to warn him of the Tribunal's direction. Hariri and others have been engaged in the Syrian-Saudi efforts to calm things down, and the PM is due to make his first ever visit to Iran next week, shortly after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan drops by Beirut first on Wednesday.

The Bottom Line


Sitting in Beirut, I can't help but notice that it is largely western and local leaders yelling about escalating tensions. These have not hit Lebanon's population quite yet, though you could have heard a pin drop during one of Nasrallah's press conferences this summer, when Beirutis in even the largely non-sectarian district of Hamra disappeared into homes to hear the Hezbollah leader's latest revelations. And people are following the daily ping-pong statements of Lebanese political leaders with care.

What is worrying is the escalating interest of the United States in this Tribunal. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, a former US ambassador to Lebanon and the frontman for US machinations in Lebanon these days, paid a hurried visit to Beirut in October, directly after Ahmadinejad's highly publicized maiden trip here.

Feltman, who in appearance -- and possibly demeanor, if the rumors of his acerbic manner are to be believed -- resembles Michael Douglas' character in the 1993 crime thriller Falling Down, bulldozed his way into town after a grandslam show of support for Lebanon by the biggest names in the region, ostensibly to ensure some continued Lebanese support for the Tribunal. It was a poor showing for the Americans, and Feltman did not get all the meetings he demanded. The trip was followed by another $10 million in US contributions to the Tribunal -- a State Department official tells me the US' total financial contribution since the investigation began is $30 million, more than one-quarter of the Tribunal's voluntary funding from 25 states.

The US is clearly taking a stake in this battle, quite aggressively as of late, even soliciting verbal commitments to the STL from any Arab leader they can find -- a significantly pared down "Coalition of the Willing," if you like.

But if you look at the lineup of who really supports the STL -- the US, a handful of Western nations, Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia (though the latter may change its position shortly) - you see a line-up of nations that have never done a single positive thing for sovereignty, independence and real progress in the region. Ever.
US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton recently said:

America's support for a sovereign, independent, and stable Lebanon is rock solid and unwavering... The United States will continue to speak out against those who would undermine Lebanon's stability and its sovereignty... We will continue to encourage actors within Lebanon and across the region to act responsibly and in the best interests of the Lebanese people.

I am not certain that any nation outside the region has done MORE to undermine Lebanon's stability and sovereignty than the United States.

More and more, this Feltman/Clinton crusade resembles the Bush-era legacy in the Middle East. President Bush sought to enhance his global leadership by redefining the region through his "democracy" campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, and his unconditional support and encouragement of Israeli military belligerence in its 2006 war on Lebanon, strike on an alleged Syrian "nuclear" facility and the Jewish state's 2008/09 devastation of Gaza.

His Secretary of State's Condeleezza Rice urged Israel to ignore calls for a ceasefire in the 2006 war, characterizing the carnage as a necessary evil -- "the birth pangs of a new Middle East." It appears the Obama administration has not learned that you cannot "tame" people thousands of miles away -- their "will" for a future will always outweigh our "will" to break them.

This Tribunal is no longer about justice. To weigh one man's death against the lives of four million Lebanese and countless other millions who could be caught up in a regional conflagration is sheer madness.

And for those who think Lebanon and this region can just turn a blind eye and ignore the Tribunal -- that too is foolish. The UN Security Council has awarded the investigation its highest investigative status -- Chapter 7 -- allowing for the international community to enforce its conclusions, militarily if necessary.
In the interim, imagine the trauma of this Levantine nation as the trial draws out, day after day, week after week, month after month -- creating divisions, frictions, suspicions to the detriment of Lebanon's fledgling government, which has made admirable strides in maintaining its equilibrium and learning the art of compromise this past year.

Recall the days of US Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr's investigation into the suicide of deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster and the Whitewater real estate investments of the Clintons. It ended with Monica Lewinsky's blue dress and the president's semen -- hardly a worthwhile endeavor.
Can we trust this Tribunal to know when to quit? Not with our attack dogs hell-bent on destroying our perceived regional foes. This could be our next decade's "Iraq" -- certain to worsen if Republicans take the White House in 2012.

I don't know "whodunit" either, but perhaps this is an occasion to consider a Hamas-style "Hudna" -- the Palestinian resistance group's favorite solution for peace -- which effectively imposes a long-term ceasefire until a new generation turns over or the political parties and local populations reach the political maturity to achieve real justice.

Follow Sharmine Narwani on Twitter: www.twitter.com/snarwani

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Sayyed Asks STL President to Disqualify Judge Ralph Riachy

20/10/2010 The Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s press office announced on Wednesday that former head of General Security Department, Major General Jamil Sayyed, has filed a request with STL President Judge Antonio Cassese, asking him to disqualify STL Vice-President Judge Ralph Riachy.

Sayyed said that Riachy had been directly involved in the process of his "arbitrary detention, the thing that raises questions about his integrity and impartiality."

Sayyed noted that the subject of the current case is the jurisdiction of the STL and whether he had standing to submit an application for access to certain investigation documents related to the so-called false witnesses issue. He reiterated that false testimony was used to fabricate evidence against him during the investigation into the murder of former PM Rafiq Hariri.

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