By Fadi Chahine
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri took to cyberspace
live Friday, fielding questions on Twitter from supporters and followers alike
to explain his position on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, his return to the
country, plans for the Future Movement as well as the latest developments in
Syria.
As Lebanese politics become more complicated by the day, Hariri
said that now was the time to reach out to his supporters and share with them,
as well as the world, his take on the latest developments in the country and
the region.
“Well it’s about time to make this more up close and personal,
you’ll be hearing from me more often and I’ll be around as much as I can,” the
former prime minister tweeted.
Hariri lamented his absence from Lebanon, saying that he misses
his city, Beirut, and longs to return to Lebanon.
“I miss Beirut and I miss Lebanon, but mostly I miss the
[Lebanese] people,” Hariri said, who has been out of the country since April,
following the collapse of his government.
Touching on the events in Syria, Hariri said that he is
monitoring the government’s crackdown against protesters on television with
trepidation.
“It’s Friday, [I am] sitting and watching what’s happening in
Syria, more blood [being] spilled for freedom by the oppressor after the Arab
initiative,” Hariri said, after several followers asked him about his position
on what’s happening in Syria today.
Syria accepted without any reservations this week the Arab
League plan that was drafted to end the eight-month-old crisis that has
resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, civilians and security forces,
as the government continued its crackdown on anti-government protesters.
“I think one has to persist peacefully, we did it in Lebanon and
I am sure the Syrian people will prevail in the end,” he said. “Just pray for
them.”
Some followers tweeted their doubts that it was actually Hariri
responding to questions, prompting them to ask if this was “really Saad
Hariri.”
“It’s me, Saad, you are talking to. Believe it,” he tweeted.
The seemingly impromptu Twitter conversation came hours after
Hariri released a press statement in which he warned that Syria may renege on
the Arab League’s plan to resolve the crisis in the neighboring country, and
cautioned Lebanese lawmakers about illegal weapons in the country.
Hariri “warned against attempts [by Syria] to circumvent the
Arab initiative through devious methods which totally contradict the provisions
of the initiative,” according to a statement issued by his press office on the
occasion of Eid al-Adha.
He also warned against “evading obligations to release political
detainees, under weak pretexts that will not fool the Syrian people,” he added.
He also accused Hezbollah of attempting to forcefully affiliate
Lebanon with foreign axes in a bid to divide the country, adding that “such
behavior may have a serious impact that threatens the unity of the state,
entity and institutions.”
Hariri expressed hope that Eid al-Adha “would be a good
opportunity for all Lebanese parties to reflect on the situation in the country
as a result of the attitude of those who use illegal weapons to intimidate
others.”
The former prime minister also urged the Lebanese to unite their
efforts to consolidate national unity and consecrate the sovereignty of the
state and power over Lebanese territories.
He “underlined the importance of solidarity with the Arab people
who are calling for freedom, particularly the Syrian people who are
courageously confronting the military, repressive machine, and seeking a free
democratic system,” the statement added.
The former prime minister congratulated the Lebanese in general,
the Muslim community on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, as well as the Libyan
people as he praised their achievement of ridding the country of deposed leader
Moammar Gadhafi.
--Additional reporting by Dana Khraiche.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Nov-05/153201-hariri-tweets-live-on-stl-syria-as-well-as-his-future-plans.ashx#axzz1d0cFSEdV
No comments:
Post a Comment