Jumblat Doubts Credibility of Tribunal, Says Bellemare Underestimating the People
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Wednesday doubted the credibility of the international tribunal and said Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare's decision to launch a probe into the latest unauthorized broadcasts was an underestimation of the Lebanese.
"We wonder whether the tribunal is credible after the latest broadcasts" on al-Jadid TV of interviews conducted by international investigators with Caretaker PM Saad Hariri, said Jumblat.
"Bellemare's statement that he will launch an investigation into the issue is not enough and is an underestimation of the people," the Druze leader said in a statement.
Turning to his critics, Jumblat said that he was among the first officials to warn against the political exploitation of the court and to ring the alarm bell following the release of the report by German Magazine Der Spiegel about Hizbullah's alleged involvement in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination.
"This took place before the reconciliation with Hizbullah out of keenness on the resistance and the rejection to shove Lebanon into the game of nations," said the statement.
Jumblat described the current situation as "highly sensitive" and called for "responsible stances that overcome traditional political alignments."
He also urged Lebanese officials to help the success of Qatari-Turkish efforts that came to complement the Arab mediation that was started by Riyadh and Damascus.
"Dialogue remains the only option to solve outstanding problems and end the current crisis," Jumblat added.
In remarks to al-Akhbar daily on Wednesday, Jumblat described the political atmosphere in Lebanon as "very bad."
He told the newspaper that he was in continued contact with Syrian President Bashar Assad, who gave him the "freedom of choice."
"But things turned negative. Let no one hold me responsible," the Druze leader said about the collapse of the government and the postponement of binding parliamentary consultations to name a new prime minister.