14 décembre 2009 - 09BEIRUT1318 - HARIRI’S DAMASCUS TRIP COMPLICATED BY SYRIAN (#cablegate)
http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/12/09BEIRUT1318.html#
SUMMARY: Lebanese Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar confirmed on December 10 that the GOL had received “warrants” for 23 former and current Lebanese officials and journalists to appear before the Syrian judiciary. The warrants were issued in connection with a case brought in a Syrian court by former General Jamil al-Sayyed, who alleges that those named provided false testimony that led to his detention for four years in connection with the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The official reaction from the GOL has been deliberately muted, according to Naji Abi Assi, DG of the Presidency. Mohammad Chatah, a senior advisor to PM Saad Hariri, characterized the issue as Syria seeing how far it could go without provoking a reaction from Hariri. Some in Hariri’s inner circle have dismissed the warrants as “theatrical,” but are upset that the PM has not reacted. The warrants complicate preparations for Hariri’s planned visit to Damascus. The names of those listed in the warrants are detailed in paragraph 7. End Summary.
THOSE SUMMONED
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¶7. (SBU) According to the press, the 23 Lebanese named in the warrants are as follows:
Former ministers (3)
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Marwan Hamadeh, former Minister of Telecommunications,
current MP
Charles Rizk, former Minister of Justice
Hassan el-Sabeh, former Minister of the Interior
Former MPs (1)
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Elias Attallah
Judges (3)
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Sa’id Mirza, Chief Prosecutor
Sakr Sakr, Military Prosecutor
Elias Eid
Internal Security Forces personnel (5)
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Director General Ashraf Rifi
Wissam al-Hassan
Samir Shehadeh
Houssam al-Tanoukhi
Khaled Mahmoud
Lebanese journalists (8)
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Fares Khashan, formerly with Al-Mustaqbal
Hani Hammoud, media advisor to PM Hariri
Omar Harkous, Al-Mustaqbal
Salam Moussa, independent
Ayman Shrouf, independent
Hassan Sabra, Al-Shira’a Magazine
Zahra Badran, independent
Nadim Monla, Future TV
Miscellaneous (3)
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Johnny Abdo, former Lebanese ambassador to France
Brigadier General (retired) Mohammad Farshoukh
Adnan Baba