Lebanese President Michel Suleiman issued a statement today condemning WikiLeaks and accusing the group of trying to sow division between him and the Hezbollah political bloc. He insisted the leaks were all lies.
The WikiLeaks-published State Department cables claim, among other things, that former Prime Minister Saad Hariri backed Suleiman’s presidency primarily to embarrass Hezbollah and harm Michel Aoun. One cable reports the US opposing Suleiman, believing him to be a “Syrian Agent.”
The most damaging claim, however, was that Suleiman had said in 2007 that Hezbollah was only backing him to keep him from the presidency. Suleiman became president in May of 2008.
Suleiman’s statement also warned the media against publishing stories based on the WikiLeaks cables, saying that the cables “lacked credibility.” WikiLeaks has released about 7,000 cables out of the 251,287 that it has in its possession.
Your first link there, about the Suleiman statement, should be: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/Apr/18/…
Yeah, the Daily Star… the (apparent) Christian Paper of record in Lebanon….. And lately it IS just that and seemingly that ONLY……
Sleiman slams WikiLeaks: Accord basis of Hezbollah ties
April 18, 2011 07:45 AM (Last updated: April 18, 2011 07:45 AM)
The Daily Star
"BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman said Sunday his relation with Hezbollah was based on cooperation as he warned against attempts to deepen divisions among Lebanese parties through leaked U.S. diplomatic cables, which he said lacked “accuracy and credibility.”
According to leaked U.S. cables published in Al-Akhbar newspaper, Sleiman reportedly said in 2007 that he believed Hezbollah had supported his nomination for president to destroy his chances of reaching Lebanon’s top post.
“Sleiman believed Hezbollah was supporting him with the aim to burn his chances of securing the presidency,” then-U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman said in a 2007 cable.
Sleiman said some of the leaks were in line with an organized campaign aimed at dividing ranks and widening the rift among Lebanese citizens and political factions. "
So strange, I thought the controversy surrounding the cables was NOT why Hesbolah supported Sleiman, but whether Sleiman and Murr, while Sleiman was president…. conspired with Israel through then U.S. ambassador Jeffry Feltman for Israel to attack Lebanon in an attempt to wipe out Hesbolah….and in doing so spread MILLIONS of cluster munitions over the South….
AND didn't Murr actually give the game away when he infamously uttered…“Who will try those who are accusing other Lebanese of treason only because they hold a different opinion?” Murr asked in a statement, in reference to some MPs and media outlets who had accused him of treason.
A diplomatic cable obtained by whistle blowing website WikiLeaks alleges Murr advised US officials how to ensure a fresh Israeli onslaught on Lebanon would weaken Hizbullah while protecting the Lebanese Army and civilian Christian areas.
It seems if Murr did NOT conspire to get Israel to attack Hesbolah in particular and Lebanon in general (writ large), that he should have denied the charges WIKI raised IMMEDIATELY and not utter this mealy-mouthed difference of opinion bull$hit. NO Mr. Murr… It is NOT O.K. to conspire with a foreign power to attack and decimate the COUNTRY of which YOU are sworn to defend…. No..!!! Doing so is TREASON pure and simple….!!!!!!!
Mental darkness, this is any pretense of good hiding misery, any deceitful liar’s pretense of good hiding an intent to be enriched upon our misery. Whereas, light is any fact that forces such darkness to give way, and one is said to have wisdom if they can tell new light from new darkness. For corporate media is new darkness that destroys all the light that came before it, and AntiWar is new light that saves us from such a wasteland of meaningless fiction.