The Special Tribunal for Lebanon continued on Thursday its hearing sessions for the fourth day in a row. Judges are still listening to the testimony of MP Marwan Hamadeh.
During the hearing session, MP Hamadeh revealed the reasons behind the resignation of 4 Lebanese ministers from the cabinet in September 2004.
“Our resignation from the cabinet had been planned since the return of Hariri from Damascus in August 26, 2004, when we met with him in Clemenceau,” he said, noting that then-President Emile Lahoud was seeking to take control over all the authorities, “leaving the ministers as nothing but his followers,” as he said.
Hamadeh added that late PM Rafiq Hariri was keen on calming the Syrian authorities after their outrage resulting from the issuance of UN resolution 1559.
The lawmaker, who was the victim of an assassination attempt in October 2004, is expected to testify for three to four days.
In addition to MPs, other Lebanese officials and journalists who were close to Hariri, will testify in the international court on the former PM's deteriorating relations with Syria, the neighboring country's increasing influence on Lebanon's internal affairs and the concerns by the international community regarding the political pressure exerted on Lebanon.
In the aftermath of Hariri's assassination in a suicide bombing in Beirut, suspicions immediately fell on Syria, since Hariri had been seeking to weaken its influence on Lebanon.
Syria has denied any role in the assassination, but the killing galvanized opposition to Syria and led to street demonstrations that forced the exit of the Syrian troops from Lebanon.
Hamadeh had a leading role along with other politicians from the March 14 camp in organizing the rallies.
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon was set up by the United Nations at the Lebanese government's request to try the alleged perpetrators of the 2005 bombing in which former Lebanese PM Hariri and 21 others were killed.