On Junblat's defense of al-Shehabi
Lebanon-Syria, Politics, 6/10/2000

The Saudi daily al-Riyadh on Friday front-paged its issue by a report from its office in Beirut in which it focused on the comment made by member of the Lebanese parliament Walid Junblat and the defense made by the Lebanese paper al-Mustaqbal, owned by the former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri in defending the former Syrian army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Hekmat al-Shehabi and their refute to the news which said that al-Shehabi might be summoned to be investigated for corruption.

The Saudi paper added " it has become a tradition to have talks about Syrian interference in the Lebanese affairs, but the controversy today is that it has become possible to talk about Lebanese interference in the Syrian affairs," noting that the defense made by al-Mustaqbal paper came at a time when al- Shehabi was a resident at al-Hariri Palace in Qreitam after he had left the American University of Beirut and later one of al-Hariri's private planes took al-Shehabi from Beirut to the USA to continue medical treatment.

The Saudi paper questioned the reasoning for this defense of al-Shehabi made by al-Hariri, noting that well-informed political circles see what is taking place in Damascus and find Hariri's action as a preventive measure in that the ongoing fight against corruption in Syria will extend to Lebanon. And this, will therefore, hit former officials in Lebanon including ministers and members of parliament because of their links to work partnership with Syrian civilian and military officials.

The paper hinted in this regard that there was a Syrian officer who used to acquire great responsibilities at Beirut's airport and was later summoned to Damascus after it was proven he is involved in several thefts and that he has been investigated.

Previous Stories:
  Lahoud: fighting corruption and rule of law go hand in hand with liberation   (6/8/2000)
  Khaddam, Hariri seen off al-Shehabi when he left for the US   (6/8/2000)
  Al-Shehabi left for the US   (6/7/2000)
  Measures are expected against former Syrian army chief al-Shehabi   (6/6/2000)

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