Former MP Ghattas Khoury appeared on Thursday before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as a witness to testify on the period in Lebanon that preceded and followed the extension of the term of former President Emile Lahoud.
Khoury, who was closely affiliated with slain Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, spoke of how the Syrian regime influenced political life in Lebanon, causing a “revolt against the Lebanese constitution” that in turn led to the extension of Lahoud's term in office in 2004.
He also revealed that he received threats against his life by Syrian regime officials for his rejection of the extension.
“Syrian President Bashar Assad had requested from Hariri that he arrange meetings for him with potential presidential candidates,” said Khoury of the period before the extension.
These figures included Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, former MP Jean Obeid, MP Robert Ghanem, and Khoury himself.
“I met Assad who explained to me his vision of international and Lebanese affairs. I was not bothered by the meeting,” remarked Khoury before the STL judges at The Hague.
Franjieh, Ghanem, and Obeid announced their candidacy to the elections after meeting Assad, revealed the MP.
“There were intentions to 'Lebanonize' the polls, but such a decision was overturned and a vote, held in an unconstitutional manner, for extending Lahoud's term took place,” he stated.
The debate over the extension of Lahoud's term strained ties between Hariri and the Syrian regime and has been the focus of political testimonies before the STL.
Following the extension in September 2004, Khoury said that preparations were being made for Hariri to emerge victorious in the 2005 parliamentary elections.
This was to be followed with the formation of a new government and ending Syria's hegemony over Lebanon, he revealed.
Slain minister Bassel Fleihan had proposed to Hariri that the ranks of the opposition be organized and united in order to achieve these goals.
Khoury was tasked later in 2004 to hold contacts with these opposition groups.
“Syrian officials, specifically Assad and his aides, demanded that Hariri resign,” he continued.
“The officials felt the need to form a Lebanese government that would back Syria's opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq,” explained the MP.
“The Syrian request was actually a threat by Assad that made Hariri sense the dangerousness of the situation,” recounted Khoury.
“Hariri was convinced that failure to heed the Syrian warnings would have dire consequences on Lebanon,” he noted.
“I chose to vote against the extension of Lahoud's term even though Hariri tried to convince me otherwise. He ultimately left the decision up to me. For his part, Hariri took a decision that reflects his responsibility towards Lebanon” and voted in favor of the extension, he added.
Syrian officials sensed Khoury's objection to the extension, which prompted then Syrian intelligence chief in Lebanon Rustom Ghazali to contact him to persuade him to act in favor of the extension.
“I shut off all of my mobile phone numbers” to avoid communicating with the officials, said Khoury.
“I then received a threat, delivered to my wife, that I would return home in a coffin,” he stressed.
The STL is tackling the 2005 assassination of Hariri and 22 others during a major bombing in Beirut.
Fleihan, who was in Hariri's convoy, sustained severe burns during the attack. He succumbed to his injuries a few weeks later in 2005.
The STL is currently listening to the testimonies of a number of witnesses who were close to Hariri in the months preceding the assassination.
MP Marwan Hamadeh gave his testimony in late 2014 and journalist Faisal Salman gave his testimony at the resumption of the hearings in 2015.
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