Hariri appeals to Nasrallah to stop Lebanon turmoil

Lebanese politician Saad Hariri in remarks published Wednesday said he was "reaching out" to Hizbullah.

By DPA
saad hariri ap 298.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
saad hariri ap 298.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Lebanese politician Saad Hariri in remarks published Wednesday said he was "reaching out" to Hizbullah and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, to stop the turmoil in Lebanon which he said was a Syrian plan to regain control of the country. In the interview in the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Hariri called the mass public demonstrations going on in Beirut a coup against legitimacy. The crisis in Lebanon was deeply-based in a Syrian plan to control Lebanon again with Iran's support, charged Hariri, who is head of the Future Bloc in the Lebanese parliament. "We stood by Hizbullah and defended its weapons as long as it was a Lebanese party that represents a Lebanese resistance in the face of Israeli aggression," Hariri said. "But if Hizbullah will turn his militias against the Lebanese, it will not only lose our support, it will also incite an internal sectarian turmoil that we warn against, and we are working hard to avoid that," he said. Hariri added: "We are reaching out to Hizbullah and to Hassan Nasrallah to cooperate with us for this national and Islamic goal instead of letting his military media device incite this turmoil through Al-Manar televison, using slogans that are unbecoming to him."