Lebanese Leaders Condemn Bid on Geagea's Life, Suleiman Urges Swift Probe

Several Lebanese leaders on Wednesday contacted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to condemn the assassination attempt he escaped earlier in the day, as President Michel Suleiman called for “intensifying the investigations in order to unveil and arrest the perpetrators.”

Former prime minister Saad Hariri telephoned Geagea, deploring the attempt on his life and describing it as the latest in a long series of political assassinations in Lebanon.

In a statement issued after calling Geagea, Hariri said: “We are both committed to achieving the rise of a state that is free of the terrorism of weapons.”

“The arms have been used in order to alter democratic life in Lebanon at every important political interval,” he remarked.

“This is an occasion to renew the March 14 camp’s commitment to defending the Lebanese democratic system and the people’s right to a sovereign and independent state,” Hariri added.

“This terrorist act requires the Lebanese political and security forces to follow up on the case and uncover all of its details before the public in order to demonstrate to them the plan that is being devised to destabilize Lebanon,” stressed the former premier, who according to al-Mustaqbal bloc MPs has been forced to live abroad over security concerns.

Hariri is currently residing in Paris, where he has been living for several months.

At a press conference he held following the botched attempt on his life, Geagea said he narrowly escaped sniper bullets that targeted him at his Maarab residence.

He explained that while taking a stroll in his garden, he leaned over to pick a flower soon after which he heard loud gunshots.

"I heard two shots, so I dropped to the ground," he said, adding that the bullets made two holes in the wall of his house.

Lebanese security services who later arrived at the scene confirmed the incident, which they said they were investigating.

For his part, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat telephoned Geagea, stressing “adherence to the freedom of expression within the framework of the Lebanese democratic system which safeguards pluralism and diversity.”

Jumblat called on “the relevant Lebanese security agencies to fully shoulder their responsibilities, in order to prevent a return to security exposure or political assassinations” in the country.

He warned against “any adventures in this regard, as that would aggravate tensions and divisions in Lebanon and would push the country towards further problems and risks.”

President Suleiman telephoned Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji to inquire about the circumstances of the shooting, asking them to “intensify the investigations in order to unveil and arrest the perpetrators and thwart any attempt to incite civil strife in the country.”

Meanwhile, Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel deplored the assassination bid during a phone conversation with Geagea, saying the LF leader was not the sole target of the operation, “but rather all Lebanese leaders and Lebanon’s stability.”

He called on the state to shoulder its responsibilities to prevent a return to the “tragedies of the years 2005 and 2006.”