Jumblat Criticizes March 14 over al-Hasan Funeral Unrest, Says They Started 'Preparing Their Suits' to Return to Power

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Thursday criticized the March 14 forces over the clashes that followed the funeral of slain Intelligence Bureau chief Maj. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan, noting that he will remain in the centrist camp together with President Michel Suleiman and that he would accept any solution that spares the country political vacuum.

“Wissam al-Hasan was the good guardian of the Lebanese state, but it was a major mistake to give Wissam al-Hasan a sectarian color after his assassination. Unfortunately, instead of organizing a decent farewell, the funeral ended with chaos,” said Jumblat in an interview on LBCI television.

“What happened was a mistake and the street was under control when Rafik Hariri, Gebran Tueni and others were assassinated. The Grand Serail did not kill Wissam al-Hasan, but rather the Syrian regime,” the Druze leader added.

“When you unleash the sectarian rhetoric, therein lies the problem and the army's performance was excellent despite the rabble-rousing of the politicians,” he said.

Asked about Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea's remarks that the so-called "killing machine" is inside the government, Jumblat said: “This is wrong and the most important thing is to 'kill strife' instead of dragging the country into it.”

“We were burying one martyr after another but we achieved the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, that's why the Lebanese judiciary must convict (ex-information minister) Michel Samaha,” Jumblat added.

Samaha, Syrian security chief Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk and a Syrian colonel, identified by his first name Adnan, were charged with forming a group to commit crimes in Lebanon. The three were also charged with plotting to assassinate political and religious figures.

“March 14 should have staged a demonstration outside the Syrian embassy instead of trying to storm the Grand Serail,” said Jumblat.

“I will not resign and subject the country to vacuum and I will not accept that without the existence of an alternative,” he added.

“I don't regret that I had prevented civil strife together with (Prime Minister) Najib Miqati and others,” Jumblat went on to say.

Asked whether he will ask his ministers to resign from government, Jumblat said: “When we reach a conclusion together with President (Michel) Suleiman that this government must resign, we will resign, and in my opinion a national unity government must be formed.”

Jumblat revealed that former premier Saad Hariri had telephoned him and asked him to withdraw his ministers from the government.

“Hariri telephoned me and asked me to resign and I told him that I won't resign and subject the country to vacuum. I also said other things and he was dismayed by my remarks,” Jumblat said.

He stressed that “neither Hizbullah nor al-Mustaqbal Movement can rule the country single-handedly,” accusing the March 14 forces of "starting to prepare their suits" to return to power.

Asked whether the March 14 forces were seeking to exploit al-Hasan's assassination in order to return to power, Jumblat said: “Yes, unfortunately.”