BEIRUT: The March 8 coalition has launched a smear campaign against former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to try to dissuade him from testifying before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the Future bloc said Tuesday.
In its weekly statement, the bloc, which is headed by Siniora, said the ex-premier’s testimony “explains the background and political dimensions of the media campaign launched by March 8 forces against Siniora in the days preceding the testimony.”
Siniora began offering testimony to the The Hague-based court Monday, detailing a strained relationship between former premier Rafik Hariri and Syria.
In his second day of testimony before the STL Tuesday, Siniora told the court that Hariri had confided to him that he had uncovered multiple assassination attempts against him orchestrated by Hezbollah.
The Future bloc statement did not provide examples of the smear campaign it said was being waged against Siniora, but the MP has come under tremendous criticism after delivering a blistering attack on Hezbollah earlier this month.
During a ceremony to mark the March 14 Movement’s 10th anniversary, Siniora railed against Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria and accused the party of destabilizing Lebanon.
Hezbollah and other March 8 officials denounced the attack, with Tawhid party chief Wiam Wahhab going as far as accusing Siniora of being an Israeli agent.
In its Tuesday statement, the bloc said the campaign was carried out to prevent Siniora from revealing information to the STL.
The statement also expressed dismay at the recent “Persian empire” remarks made by an Iranian presidential adviser, and denounced what it said was Iranian interference in Lebanon’s affairs.
“The bloc confirms that Lebanon is an independent and sovereign state that strictly rejects any interventions in its internal affairs,” the statement read.
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