Prime Minister Saad Hariri's allies on Friday denounced a call by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to boycott a U.N.-backed tribunal to try ex-PM Rafik Hariri's killers, calling on their government to take a stand.
- Nasrallah on Thursday called on the Lebanese – civilians and officials -- to end cooperation with the international investigation into Hariri's 2005 murder, warning that further collaboration was equivalent to an attack on Hizbullah.Hariri, son of the slain ex-premier, is already in a standoff with Hizbullah over unconfirmed reports that the Tribunal is set to indict members of the Shiite group.
MP Ahmed Fatfat, a member with Hariri's Mustaqbal bloc, said Nasrallah's comments amounted to a call to "revolt against the international community."
"Accepting this request pits the Lebanese government against the international community," Fatfat told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.
He said Lebanon will eventually turn into a country that rejects U.N. resolutions if the Government abides by Nasrallah's call.
Fatfat said the Government must "clarify" where it stands regarding Nasrallah's statement and whether it will revoke its policy statement.
The ministerial statement to which Fatfat referred states the Cabinet's respect for and commitment to cooperating with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, a key Hariri ally, called on Hariri and President Michel Suleiman to set up an emergency meeting on the issue.
"This is a threat to the Lebanese government, as the government is the first to cooperate with the investigators through its memorandum of understanding with the Security Council," Geagea told al-Arabiya televisions station.
LF MP Antoine Zahra, also told al-Arabiya that Hizbullah has "turned into a coercive group for Lebanese, warranting a peaceful resistance to defend human rights."
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