March 14: Bellemare's Latest Stand Indication of Failure of Intimidation Campaigns

The March 14 General Directorate praised on Wednesday Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare for his "strong professionalism" in the investigation in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: "His latest stands are "an indication of the failure of intimidation campaigns that are aimed at targeting the STL and its credibility, and the impossibility of influencing the independent investigation."

Furthermore, it condemned the recent clashes at Borj Abi Haidar, saying that they have made the demand for making Beirut an arms-free state a priority, which "would represent the first step in making the whole of Lebanon free of illegitimate weapons."

"Laying down of illegitimate arms has become a popular, political, and economic demand," the general directorate said in a statement after its weekly meeting.

It also condemned Tuesday's kidnapping of two Polish tourists in the Baalbeck-Hermel region, saying it was a dangerous sign of some groups' terrorist tendencies against Lebanese and foreigners.

It was also a sign of the presence of disrupters of the peace throughout Lebanon that are aimed at targeting the authority and credibility of the Lebanese state.