Wednesday 31 March 2010

Nasrallah To Discuss Hariri Tribunal Tonight



Hizbullah secretary-general Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah will be interviewed this evening on al-Manar at 21:30 PM Beirut time (14:30 PM EST, 18:30 GMT). I expect it to be an important exchange, and the choice of an interview format (rather than a formal address) may suggest that Nasrallah is aiming to defuse tensions resulting from all the “Hizbullah-killed-Hariri” rumors in the Lebanese press.

For English-speakers, you’ll be able to follow the higlights on Naharnet and NOW Lebanon. Arabic speakers can probably find a live streaming feed of the interview somewhere online, and I’ll be sure to put the full transcript up as soon as it is available.

Nasrallah interview
9:38 – Nasrallah confirms that around 12 people from Hizbullah (or close to the party) have been questioned by the Special Tribunal.
9:42 – Nasrallah says that he will adhere to safeguarding the secrecy of the proceedings, in compliance with the wishes of the investigators themselves.
9:44 – Those questioned have been questioned in their capacity as witnesses and not as accused.
9:46 – There are some who are accusing Hizbullah and its [state] supporters of being responsible for the crime. And some are saying that only certain individuals from within Hizbullah are responsible. The first article that accused the party was in Le Figaro, back in August of 2006, after the July War.
9:49 – Nasrallah goes through all the major news reports, articles, etc. that pinned the crime on Hizbullah, up to the report in Le Monde in February 2010. Nasrallah: “I consider this all to be a political accusation.”
9:53 – The first to accuse Hizbullah were Israeli leaders.
9:58 – They accuse us of terrorism, of drug-trafficking, of money laundering, all in order to distort our image. This latest campaign is no different.
10:04 – Either the investigation is being influenced by security agencies, or the investigation itself is leaking informaiton. Otherwise, it seems that there are self-proclaimed prophets these days who know which way things are going to proceed.
10:07 – The whole history of this tribunal is full of leaks. It is composed of so many different parties from different countries; so it is natural that leaks occur.
[stay tuned... ongoing]



31/03/2010

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah will be the guest of an Al-Manar TV talk show (What’s next) with Amr Nassef Wednesday at 18:30GMT. Sayyed Nasrallah is expected to tackle the main political and economic headlines in Lebanon, the region and the world.

His eminence is also expected to raise the issue of the International Tribunal for Lebanon in the wake of “leaks” to the press over the course of its investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Martyr Rafiq Hariri. Sayyed Nasrallah will also address the recent Israeli aggression in occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the Judaization policy that is unprecedentedly threatening the existence of the Holy Aqsa Mosque and the lives of Palestinians in occupied Al-Quds.


River to Sea
 Uprooted Palestinian

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