Jumblatt criticizes visits to Damascus, advises Hezbollah to fund STL

In a TV interview, the Head of the National Struggle Front MP Walid Jumblatt criticized the visits conducted by some Lebanese security officials to Damascus. Jumblatt stressed that neither the LAF nor security officials have the right to head to Syria alone without the knowledge of Lebanese authorities.

Jumblatt called for strengthening coordination on the security level between the two countries on the condition that the rules and protocol are respected.   

Jumblatt urged security apparatuses to join forces under the leadership of President Michel Sleiman to investigate the abduction of Syrian opposition figures in Lebanon. “Secretary General of the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council Nasri Khoury should be dismissed because Lebanon needs a qualified and experienced professional who will take note of the complaints, rather than a person whose allegiances lie with a political party”, Jumblatt said.    

Speaking on funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), Jumblatt advised Hezbollah to agree on this issue and said: “If Hezbollah does not wish to fund the STL, then this issue will surely not be adopted. This would be a political mistake.”