Daily Star - Hamadeh vows to inform Brammertz of Franjieh remarks 'Comments are an incitement to murder', September, 1, 2007.
BEIRUT: Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh threatened Friday to report former Interior Minister Suleiman Franjieh to the international probe committee into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri after the latter accused him of plotting the assassination of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
"Franjieh's comments are an incitement to murder and are not worth responding to but they will be reported to the Lebanese as well as international judicial authorities," Hamadeh said in a statement.
In an interview with the "Kalam An-Nas" talk show broadcast live on LBCI television Thursday night, Franjieh said both Hamadeh and Premier Fouad Siniora were planning to assassinate Nasrallah.
"Why then raise such a controversial issue as Hizbullah's private communication networks at such critical times?" Franjieh asked. "They either want to isolate Sayyed Nasrallah or they want to determine his location so as to kill him."
In its meeting last week, the government said it was planning to take action against private communication networks installed by Hizbullah. "We agreed to draw a plan of action for a peaceful resolution of this issue, but we are serious about resolving it because it is a dangerous matter," Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said
He said initial reports have shown that the Hizbullah networks went beyond Southern villages to reach Beirut and its suburbs, which are outside the security areas of the leadership of Hizbullah. Aridi said the government was "determined to protect the resistance [Hizbullah] and the symbols of the resistance from Israel but the information that we gathered does not follow this logic." He did not give further details.
Hamadeh said Franjieh used to attack Hariri, before he was assassinated, the same way "he is currently lashing out at us."
"He roused so much hatred against the former premier until they ended up killing him."
In a previous interview, Franjieh had accused Hamadeh of informing Syria's former head of intelligence in Lebanon, Rustom Ghazaleh, of the minute details of Cabinet sessions during the period of Syrian rule.
"Hamadeh used to dial Ghazaleh during Cabinet meetings so the latter could hear all the discussions taking place," he told Al-Manar TV last month.
Hamadeh described Franjieh as being an "insignificant agent," adding that a copy of Franjieh's interview on LBCI Thursday will be "immediately" sent to the international probe commission headed by Belgian investigator Serge Brammertz.
"The DVD of the interview will be delivered to the investigative committee and it will be considered additional evidence that Franjieh has, directly or indirectly, plotted for the string of assassinations organized by the Syrian regime in Lebanon," Hamadeh added.
BEIRUT: Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh threatened Friday to report former Interior Minister Suleiman Franjieh to the international probe committee into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri after the latter accused him of plotting the assassination of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
"Franjieh's comments are an incitement to murder and are not worth responding to but they will be reported to the Lebanese as well as international judicial authorities," Hamadeh said in a statement.
In an interview with the "Kalam An-Nas" talk show broadcast live on LBCI television Thursday night, Franjieh said both Hamadeh and Premier Fouad Siniora were planning to assassinate Nasrallah.
"Why then raise such a controversial issue as Hizbullah's private communication networks at such critical times?" Franjieh asked. "They either want to isolate Sayyed Nasrallah or they want to determine his location so as to kill him."
In its meeting last week, the government said it was planning to take action against private communication networks installed by Hizbullah. "We agreed to draw a plan of action for a peaceful resolution of this issue, but we are serious about resolving it because it is a dangerous matter," Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said
He said initial reports have shown that the Hizbullah networks went beyond Southern villages to reach Beirut and its suburbs, which are outside the security areas of the leadership of Hizbullah. Aridi said the government was "determined to protect the resistance [Hizbullah] and the symbols of the resistance from Israel but the information that we gathered does not follow this logic." He did not give further details.
Hamadeh said Franjieh used to attack Hariri, before he was assassinated, the same way "he is currently lashing out at us."
"He roused so much hatred against the former premier until they ended up killing him."
In a previous interview, Franjieh had accused Hamadeh of informing Syria's former head of intelligence in Lebanon, Rustom Ghazaleh, of the minute details of Cabinet sessions during the period of Syrian rule.
"Hamadeh used to dial Ghazaleh during Cabinet meetings so the latter could hear all the discussions taking place," he told Al-Manar TV last month.
Hamadeh described Franjieh as being an "insignificant agent," adding that a copy of Franjieh's interview on LBCI Thursday will be "immediately" sent to the international probe commission headed by Belgian investigator Serge Brammertz.
"The DVD of the interview will be delivered to the investigative committee and it will be considered additional evidence that Franjieh has, directly or indirectly, plotted for the string of assassinations organized by the Syrian regime in Lebanon," Hamadeh added.
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