The gulf over Al-Hariri tribunal widened further this week, as Syria made clear it would not sit on the sidelines, reports Lucy Fielder from Beirut Lebanon's national unity government came under further strain this week, after Syria issued arrest warrants for a number of high-profile figures close to Prime Minister and the investigation into his father Rafik's 2005 assassination. Former head of Lebanon's General Security Jamil Al-Sayed, a close ally of Damascus who was detained without charge for four years as part of the investigation, announced that Syria's judiciary had issued the summonses. Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel-Karim Ali confirmed their existence by referring to them as a purely legal issue that had no effect on Lebanese-Syrian relations. Many of Al-Hariri's allies in the anti-Syrian 14 March bloc expressed outrage. Thirty-three people were summoned over the "false witnesses" issue, including controversial and outspoken first head of the UN investigative committee German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, Police Chief Ashraf Rifi and Lebanese MP Marwan Hamade, a staunchly anti-Syrian Druze politician who is anathema to many opposition members. The names were figures seen as close to Al-Hariri. "It is clear that the issue is an attempt to push the Lebanese Cabinet to back down on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon [STL], a step that is impossible," Tripoli MP Samir Jisr, a member of Al-Hariri's Future Movement, told Voice of Lebanon radio. Observers widely interpreted the warrants as a Syrian warning shot to Al-Hariri that turned up a notch the wrangle over the STL in The Hague, which is to try suspects in elder Al-Hariri's killing. "Technically it's a legal issue, and that's what the Syrians are saying, but there was also in my view a political message to Al-Hariri camp," said Abdu Saad, pollster and head of the Beirut Centre for Research and Information. "They want him to go further on the false witnesses issue." In a dramatic reversal last month, Al-Hariri reneged on his long-standing accusation that Syria killed his father, saying that allegation was politicised. But he did not mention the growing speculation that Hizbullah would instead be indicted, or how he would react to such a charge. Fears are widespread that accusing the Shia movement of killing the Sunni former premier could spark sectarian strife on Lebanon's streets. Lebanon's media is awash with speculation ahead of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's two-day visit, likely to start on 13 October. Israel has objected to the visit as have some members of the pro-Western 14 March camp, who reject Iran's backing of Hizbullah as unwelcome influence over the country. Nasrallah is also expected to make a speech that may indicate whether and how the group plans to escalate its campaign against the tribunal. "Al-Hariri spoke about Syria, but he was expected to also mention Hizbullah and to say that he was against any such indictment," Saad added. "It seems this is what is needed for stability in Lebanon." Karim Al-Mufti, a Beirut-based political analyst, said the Syrians had issued such warrants before and that since they were unlikely to have a practical effect, they would eventually "wash away". "This is a message of support for 8 March [Hizbullah and its allies]. And it shows that even though Al-Hariri has improved relations with Syria, there are still a lot of tensions." The former opposition led by Hizbullah has been campaigning hard to put the issue of the "false witnesses" at the heart of the national debate about the UN court. Early in the investigation, two Syrian supposed witnesses approached the investigative committee, then headed by Mehlis, with what was taken to be evidence implicating Syria and its allies in the security apparatus of Lebanon, then dominated by Syria. They soon retracted their statements, but four generals arrested on the strength of their statements, including Al-Sayed, remained in Roumieh prison until they were released last year for lack of evidence. Al-Sayed, who has publicly accused Al-Hariri of paying the witnesses, filed a lawsuit with the Syrian judiciary, which he said prompted the warrants. Al-Hariri was not among the 33 names, but Syria's step was seen as part of so far covert, but growing, pressure on him to denounce the tribunal. Last week, a cabinet discussion to approve Lebanon's yearly contribution of 49 per cent of the tribunal's funding was postponed under what was widely interpreted as opposition pressure. Unconfirmed but widespread media reports expect the UN court to issue its indictment late this year or early next year and to implicate "rogue elements" of Hizbullah. Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has also made this prediction, based on what he said was a tip-off from Al-Hariri. Al-Mufti pointed out that Lebanon could not abolish the court or influence its workings, regardless of any statement about guilt that Al-Hariri made, or pressure from the opposition. "All you can decide on is whether to cooperate or not," he said. "If the tribunal asks to question or arrest suspects, that's the role of the Lebanese police, and this is where it mingles with Lebanese domestic affairs." Saad said Hizbullah would certainly continue its push to stop Lebanon's official support for the tribunal and to get Al-Hariri to disown it, driven by fears that even the indictment of "rogue elements" would forever tarnish its image in Lebanon and the majority Sunni Arab world. "Lebanon cannot abolish the court on its own, that's an international decision. But if there is a unanimous Lebanese stance on the indictment then it can have no effect internally."
