July 20, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Aoun fears STL’s view of Hezbollah will affect tribunal’s investigation

Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun told the press following his bloc’s meeting on Tuesday that he is “afraid the judges in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will develop a bad image of Hezbollah [because] when that happens, there will be prejudgments and gaps in the investigation.”

“According to my information, the Hezbollah members who were questioned by the STL are reassured and did not feel pressured,” he also said.

The STL is probing the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Media reports say the tribunal’s indictment will be issued before the end of 2010. There are also reports that Hezbollah members could be named in the indictment.

“[Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan] Nasrallah expresses himself according to his way, and I do so according to my way,” Aoun added, referring to the Hezbollah leader’s Friday statement that the STL is an Israeli project that aims to incite sectarian strife in Lebanon.

Aoun also rejected reports that he told Nasrallah in a meeting last week to “change the rules of the game in Lebanon,” a reference to a Saturday article in As-Safir newspaper.

“I did not tell Nasrallah that [anyone] wants to kill him. This is not the way I speak,” the Change and Reform bloc leader also said.

“As-Safir’s comments were only political analysis. I hope the [paper’s] analysis will be wrong,” Aoun added.

He also said that Israel will not wage war against Lebanon if it is not collaborating with someone inside Lebanon.