Hariri, Geagea, Jumblatt among those to be summoned by Syria

Former premier Saad Hariri, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt are among the politicians who Syria’s judicial authorities will summon on suspicion of supporting armed groups, Syrian sources told Al-Manar television. Future Movement MPs Khaled Daher and Oqab Sakr are also on the list of Lebanese politicians targeted by the Syrian summonses, the sources said. Reports Monday said the list includes 30 Lebanese politicians. Syrian judicial authorities are in the process of issuing the summonses against the politicians for their alleged role in supporting armed groups in Syria with arms and money, and providing militants with shelter, Damascus Attorney General Judge Marwan al-Lawji told the station. He did not name the politicians in the summonses. “The accusations include supporting terrorist groups in Syria with arms, food, and money and facilitating the entry of militants from Lebanon to Syria,” he said. Commenting on the reports Tuesday, Geagea branded the issuing of the summonses as “irrelevant.” “There needs to be a state in the first place in order to issue summonses. There is no state in Syria today,” he said, referring to the embattled regime of President Bashar Assad. The summonses could be seen as a retaliatory move on the part of the Syrian regime after Lebanon pressed charges against Syrian Major General Ali Mamlouk for a terror plot aimed at destabilizing the country. The plot was uncovered by Lebanese security forces earlier this month, and led to the arrest of former minister Michel Samaha, a staunch supporter of the Syrian regime. Investigations with Samaha revealed that Syrian officials, including Mamlouk, were linked to the plot. Samaha was also charged last week of being part of a terror plot intended to undermine Lebanon’s security. Samaha is alleged to have possessed several explosive devices. Sources claim that in his confession to the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch shortly after his arrest on Aug. 10, Samaha said Assad wanted bomb attacks in Lebanon. President Michel Sleiman said he hoped Assad had no role in the plot, adding that he was waiting for the Syrian president to call him to explain the situation. (daily star)