Hezbollah does “not have anything to say about what we could do if the [Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)] indictment accuses Hezbollah members, since there are many possibilities,” Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Tuesday.
“What we do know is that such an indictment is explosive, a danger to Lebanon, and would have negative consequences,” he told BBC Arabic radio station in an interview.
Hezbollah does not care what the STL is doing or what its investigators want, he added, saying that after the month of Ramadan, Hezbollah “rejected a list of individuals whom the STL wanted to question.”
Qassem also said that Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will not meet soon, since “there is not currently any reason for such a meeting.”
Nothing prevents such a meeting from being held if one side requests it and it can offer benefits, he added.
Qassem also said that Hezbollah “will not propose any governmental changes in this period.”
Tension is high in Lebanon after unconfirmed reports that the STL will soon issue its indictment for former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. There are fears that should the court indict Hezbollah members, it could lead to clashes similar to those of the 2008 May Events – when gunmen led by the party took over half of Beirut.
On Monday, the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar reported that within two hours of an STL indictment that names Hezbollah members, the party will implement a non-violent scheme to “hold a security and military grip on large areas of Lebanon.”
Last week, Nasrallah called on all Lebanese to boycott the STL and to end cooperation with its investigators. In July, he said that the tribunal is an Israeli project and will indict members of his party.
“What we do know is that such an indictment is explosive, a danger to Lebanon, and would have negative consequences,” he told BBC Arabic radio station in an interview.
Hezbollah does not care what the STL is doing or what its investigators want, he added, saying that after the month of Ramadan, Hezbollah “rejected a list of individuals whom the STL wanted to question.”
Qassem also said that Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will not meet soon, since “there is not currently any reason for such a meeting.”
Nothing prevents such a meeting from being held if one side requests it and it can offer benefits, he added.
Qassem also said that Hezbollah “will not propose any governmental changes in this period.”
Tension is high in Lebanon after unconfirmed reports that the STL will soon issue its indictment for former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination. There are fears that should the court indict Hezbollah members, it could lead to clashes similar to those of the 2008 May Events – when gunmen led by the party took over half of Beirut.
On Monday, the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar reported that within two hours of an STL indictment that names Hezbollah members, the party will implement a non-violent scheme to “hold a security and military grip on large areas of Lebanon.”
Last week, Nasrallah called on all Lebanese to boycott the STL and to end cooperation with its investigators. In July, he said that the tribunal is an Israeli project and will indict members of his party.
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