Suleiman Holds On to his Stance in Samaha's Case
President Michel Suleiman stressed on Saturday that he will not retract his stance concerning ex-Minister Michel Samaha’s case, pointing out that he informed the Syrian authorities his position in Tehran.
“Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem requested our meeting in Tehran, and I thank him for his initiative,” Suleiman said during the opening ceremony of Amchit fishing port.
He said that the meeting was behind closed doors but it “wasn’t a secret.”
Suleiman met with Syrian Prime Minister Wael Nader al-Halqi and FM al-Muallem on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran in August.
Media reports said that the Syrian officials gave explanations to Suleiman on the case of Samaha who was arrested in August on charges of plotting to carry out bombings in Lebanon with Syrian help.
Two other Syrian officers, National Security chief Brig. Gen. Ali Mamlouk and another senior general identified only by the first name of Adnan, have also been charged of plotting the terror attacks.
All three are suspected of forming a group to provoke sectarian killings and terrorist acts using explosives, which were transported and stored by Samaha.
Suleiman hoped that “no Syrian official would be involved in the case.”
The president called on the security agencies and the judiciary not to “succumb to any threats” or become biased.
“Our decisions were never based on fear or malicious acts, we will never be blackmailed or yield. Our stances are based on our faith in this country and its dignity,” Suleiman said.
He hailed the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch for their part in Samaha’s case, noting that they halted a plot that would’ve killed hundreds of people in Lebanon.
“Whoever will try to sow discord in Lebanon will not be successful,” Suleiman added.
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