Junblat criticizes Damascus, Karami threatens opposers of the Syrian presence

The leader of the Lebanese democratic socialist party Walid Junblat has strongly criticized Syria and accused for the first time, in open, the pro Syria's Baath party in Lebanon of standing behind the assassination of his father Kamal Junblat in 1977.

This came as an reaction to the Lebanese minister of Labor and the regional secretary general of the Baath party in Lebanon Asem Qansouh who accused Junblat of relying on "foreign links." Junblat said in a press conference "it seemed they returned back to the language of threats. However, those are alleging they represent Arabism of the remains of the Baath party, had in the name of Arabism assassinated Kamal Junblat."

The Lebanese forces which stand in support of Damascus described Junblat's position as a coupe to the national policy and accused him of being a hireling for foreign ties. Qansouh has implicitly threatened to assassinate the Druze leader by saying that "there are militants" monitoring him.

Qansouh strongly deplored the UN security council resolution 1559, noting that the Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom admitted that Israel was behind it.