Interview of the Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Issam Fares by Al-Jazeera television station (16/2/2005).


* Mr. Issam Fares, Deputy Prime Minister, we would like to ask you: Are you going to participate in the funeral ceremony personally? Is the government excluded from participation? What is the political significance of this exclusion?

The government is not excluded. Personally, I was a friend of the late Mr. Rafik Hariri, and I worked with him for eight years in the parliament, and we worked together for four years in the government when he headed the Cabinet. Officially, the Ministerial Cabinet met and decided to establish a committee headed by me to oversee all of the funeral arrangements. But the family had decided to have a popular funeral procession and to exclude official participation, and we respected the wishes of the family and we took care of all security measures and the reception of delegates coming to participate from the Arab and international communities. We coordinated with the family providing any of their requests. We have all been moved by the assassination of Mr. Rafik Hariri and we consider his untimely death a national catastrophe.

* We heard that the French President, Mr. Jacques Chirac was supposed to participate in the funeral procession, but then we got news that he will be arriving together with his wife in the afternoon and will head directly to the home of Mr. Rafik Hariri without communicating with any Lebanese official. Can you enlighten us on this matter?

We have requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate with the French embassy here in Lebanon in order to set up the necessary security measures. The French President has specifically indicated that he is coming solely to present his condolences to the family.

* We heard that the Opposition is asking for the resignation of the government, and Mr. Amin Gemayel has announced that the only solution is for the government to resign, and establish a unified national government that would save the political and economic situation from disintegration. What is your opinion as Deputy Prime Minister of the current Cabinet?

We are a democratic, parliamentarian country, and there are specific mechanisms for the resignation of a ministerial cabinet. Governments do not change whimsically. According to the Constitution, the government can be deposed by the Parliament, or if the Prime Minister himself chooses to resign.

* Thank you Mr. Issam Fares for your contribution to Al-Jazeera.



* Again, we have contacted the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Issam Fares following the funeral procession. Demands are still being made by the Opposition asking for the resignation of the current government. What are you going to do?

We are listening to those voices in the Opposition. This is a black day in the history of Lebanon, and these voices are the expression of an emotional outburst. We hope that the assassination of Mr. Hariri will not be used for political ends. As I had stated earlier in this interview, there is a mechanism for the deposition of the Cabinet. The latter cannot resign unless the Prime Minister resigns or the Parliament deposes the government. The government is present and the authorities are present to oversee all details. We have respected the wishes of the family who did not want an official participation in the funeral. But we oversaw all security measures and there was no chaos or disturbance of the peace during the procession which is an indication of the strength and presence of the official authorities.

* How is the government going to react? Did the death of Hariri usher a new era?

The government and the authorities are going to seriously seek the perpetrators of the death of Mr. Hariri by all means possible. The judiciary has announced that it will seek to recruit international experts that will help solve this riddle because all of Lebanon has been hit by this crime. The aim is not only to kill the person of the former Prime Minister, but to disrupt the peace and the stability of this country.
* Lebanon has announced its readiness to seek the aid of security experts from Switzerland. Did this come as a result of the increased of international demand for a quick resolution of this crime ?

We can’t accept the intervention of a foreign body to investigate this crime, but we will accept international specialist who can help the judiciary and their investigation.

* But you didn’t allow France to contribute in the investigation ?

If France would like to send specialist who can help in this investigation than we will be thankful for France or any other country that likes to help by sending specialist. However to allow a foreign country to intervene in the investigation of another country would look like a humiliating step.