Druze leader Walid Jumblat projects that political assassinations in Lebanon will continue in order to weaken the parliamentary majority that supports the ouster of President Emile Lahoud. This will allow Damascus to recover its grip on Lebanon, Jumblat stated.

"They killed Gebran Tueni and there are members of the Democratic Gathering and the Beirut Decision blocs on the list," said Jumblat. "They believe that once these people are liquidated, the scene in parliament would change."

"This portrays the Lebanese as an incapable nation, facilitating the return of the Syrian tutelage," he was quoted as saying by Nahrnet Monday. "This is the diabolic plot."

He said Syria's Military Intelligence Chief, Gen. Assef Shawkat, had threatened Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman after the latter blocked recently the so-called "military route" - the suspected gateway for weapons and intelligence personnel pouring into Lebanon from Damascus.

The Druze leader ridiculed Syrian denial of involvement in ex-Premier Hariri's murder, noting that Syria's "iron fist" in Lebanon "could not possibly miss 1,000 kilograms of explosives floating in a truck, waiting to blow up Hariri's car, and supported by the most sophisticated electronic jamming equipment."

One of the reasons why Hariri was killed, said Jumblat, was the fact he had uncovered the fraud at Al-Madina Bank, where $1 billion had been siphoned away to personal accounts of "high-ranking" Syrian officials.

© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)