On August 30, the Lebanese National News Agency carried the following
report:
On the anniversary of his arrest, Brigadier General Jamil al- Sayyed held a press conference today at the Coral Beach Hotel in Jnah, attended by his family members, journalists and concerned figures. Sayyed addressed the assassination of martyred Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri by saying: “There are three dates that should not be forgotten by any Lebanese or Arab citizen, and especially not by his son, Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri and the honorable Sunnis in Lebanon. The first is February 14, 2005, the day on which Rafik al-Hariri was assassinated by criminals who are still free thanks to some politicians, journalists, judges and officers close to Saad al-Hariri, and who since the first day of the crime misled the investigations and the Lebanese, Arab and international public opinion with false witnesses and political accusations with which they filled the television screens, newspapers and public squares at the time. The second date is August 30, 2005, the day on which Rafik al-Hariri was assassinated for the second time when the four officers were arrested.
"On that day, he was killed by false witnesses who were taught and sponsored by politicians, journalists, judges and officers close to Saad al-Hariri, at the head of whom are figures known by all the Lebanese, namely Marwan Hamadeh, Johnny Abdu, journalists Hani Hammoud and Fares Khashan, judges Said Mirza and Sakr Sakr, and officers Wissam al-Hassan and Samir Shehadeh and their aides. As for the third assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, it was seen on April 29, 2009, when the international criminal court toppled the conspiracy of the fake witnesses and their masters and freed the four officers, while Mr. Saad al-Hariri is until now refusing to hold the [aforementioned] politicians, journalists, judges and officers accountable for having wasted four years of the international court’s term, reputation and credibility…
“I am holding this press conference today on the fourth anniversary of the second assassination of martyred Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri by those who I mentioned above and who taught, promoted and funded the conspiracy of the fake witnesses who included Muhammad Zuheir al-Siddiq, Hussam Hussam, Ibrahim Jarjura, Abdul Basset Bani Aouda and Ahmed Merhi, as well as small officers and general security elements who were sent by Hassan al-Sabah and others. As for the brothers Abdul Aal, they were released without being asked one question so that Jarjura is released with them.
"They released Jarjura, the fake witness, because they were afraid he would reveal who taught him what to say, i.e. Marwan Hamadeh and Mrs. Bahia al-Hariri, how they beat him and how they dictated his testimony. This is why they were released... Now, the question that should be addressed to Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri is the
following: how do you fell about the public and official position of the international criminal court toward the false witnesses, at the head of whom is Muhammad Zuhair al-Siddiq? What was your own position toward those close to you who convinced you of him, of Hussam Hussam and others? What have you said or what will you say to your father, Abu Bahaa? Are you not ashamed with all the pictures of him that you place right and left when receiving your guests?
"I believe you should place Zuhair al-Siddiq’s picture next to your father’s because you surrendered your father to him? All the Lebanese citizens who see the picture of Rafik al-Hariri next to Saad al- Hariri should mentally place Zuhair al-Siddiq’s picture in its place.
“Four years went by, O Saad al-Hariri, while you have not done anything. You are great because you have billions, but all you will have will be billions of ‘old shoes’ when you meet God, since billions do not make leaders…
“Where are the rights of the martyred prime minister in all this conspiracy? Where is the voice of deputy Walid Jumblatt? On the personal level, Jumblatt is funny, but on the political level we ask him: Where is your voice? Why did you not pull Marwan Hamadeh’s ear for having implicated you? You promised us you will hang the nooses of the families of the officers and make them shed tears of blood. Where did your voice go when you learned that Zuhair al-Siddiq was lying?… I want to hear it now. If you want to change your positions, change everything and not just in terms of what you want. I do not believe in such shifts, and Jumblatt does not enjoy the characteristics of an ally. If he were to shift in your direction, use him, but never think he is an ally. He knows what he is doing, and he works to secure his own interests. I am not insulting him, this truly is his characteristic...
“As for you Mr. President [Michel Sleiman], I respect you. You have been a brother in arms and a friend with whom I have a thousand things and details in common. However, you became the president and I visited you twice to tell you a couple of things which I am repeating now. How can you guarantee that after you leave the presidency, they will not do to you what they have done to the officers of President Emile Lahoud? How can you guarantee such a thing if Said Mirza and his likes were to remain in their positions?…
"I want to hear your voice Mr. President. All around the world, presidents are elected to rule, while in Lebanon, they brought you to power to rule you. They have placed you in the Baabda palace as a consensual president. This is why they elected you. We want you to be a president, as Michel Sleiman, whom I have come to know in the army’s command, and not as you have been during the year and a half that have gone by. The current president looks nothing like you and if the civilian suit will render you the hostage of the Baabda presidential seat, leave now. It is shameful Mr. President for them to render you a hostage and to place you between what is right and what is wrong.
"It would be fine for them to amend the Taif Accord for you and to restore the state. Today however, you do not enjoy the authority to disband the government or any council... These are not the rights of the Christians but those of the state. The state is composed of a group of sects and is hijacked by them. They say that Hezbollah’s arms are hijacking the state. No my dear. In Lebanon, you do not need arms to hijack the state since each sect has a state. When they agree, they rob the state and when they disagree, they destroy it. This is why we want the likes of Wissam al-Hassan, who owns a house in France, and Saad al-Hariri to be held accountable.
“They praise the security they have instated, but there is no security. Have you arrested anyone so far? If a man kills another, you arrest him in Roumieh, while those who have killed hundreds of people became deputies and ministers. As for the fundamentalists, I have nothing against them in principle, but I disagree with them at the level of their activities. What is happening is that those who were put in jail among the latter are being sold to embassies as though to say there is a fight against terrorism and Al-Qaeda, while these fundamentalists are being treated well in prison. They are being sold to the Americans on one hand and being offered food by the Dar al-Fatwa on the other. You should be trying them in court and not selling them... Your officers and clerics are at the service of these fundamentalists in prison. You are a criminal, Mirza, and so are your sponsors. I respect Minister Baroud and the measures he has adopted, but this is not enough. Many things are happening in the Roumieh prison in terms of segregation between a prisoner and another…
“Therefore, Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri and President Michel Sleiman are required to hold those at fault accountable as soon as possible. Many told us that President Sleiman was a consensual president who could not hold anyone accountable, and we told them we did not believe that the president would accept to be considered as such, or else there would be no reason for his presence. Moreover, many told us that Saad al-Hariri would not hold those close to him accountable since he was their sponsor, while we refuse to believe that Saad al-Hariri is one of them... We, among others, are waiting. If Saad al-Hariri does not act, he would unfortunately be contributing to his father’s second assassination, and if this is the case, there would be no point in him visiting his father’s shrine to place a copy of the international court’s formation document or a copy of the decree to form the coming government...”