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Syrian lawmakers lambaste ex-VP
RELATEDYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSA day after Syria's former vice president made a series of damning remarks about President Bashar al-Assad, the country's lawmakers stood behind their leader and said that Abdul Halim Khaddam should be tried for treason for his comments. Khaddam -- a key Syrian policymaker before resigning as vice president in June -- said in an interview with the al-Arabiya television network Friday that al-Assad made threats against Rafik Hariri, months before the Lebanese premier's February assassination in Beirut. His allegations came amid a U.N. inquiry into Hariri's death, which has deemed the assassination an act of terrorism and pointed to complicity by senior Syrian officials. (Full story) In the interview, Khaddam said Hariri had once been summoned to Damascus, the Syrian capital, where al-Assad spoke harshly to him. (Watch Khaddam make his remarks) He recounted how al-Assad told Hariri that he would not allow the prime minister "to bring a new president to Lebanon." Khaddam said he could not recall al-Assad's exact words to Hariri, but summarized them by saying, "I will not let you. I will smash anyone for even trying to disobey our orders." "That was the level of harshness," he said, making sure to emphasize that he was not suggesting al-Assad was involved in the Hariri assassination. Khaddam, who made it clear he was unhappy with al-Assad after his June resignation, also criticized al-Assad's leadership, accusing the president of running "a one-man rule." "Authority is extremely centralized. That made institutions, party leadership and popular organizations completely absent, and their role became to rubber stamp the decisions of the president," he said. During the Saturday session of the Syrian Parliament, several lawmakers stood up to denounce Khaddam's comments, some saying he should be tried for treason and corruption. Parliament member Sha'aban Shaheen, in particular, said Khaddam's comments "constitute a criminal offense that reaches the level of treason, and we demand he be put to trial before the Syrian security high court." Khaddam, who also criticized the Syrian government for political missteps in Lebanon and for failing to properly address Syria's political and economic troubles, recently moved with his family to Paris, France, and reportedly sold his property in Syria. He was a friend of Hariri and was the only senior Syrian official to attend the Lebanese prime minister's funeral. The former vice president served in the government of al-Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad, for about 30 years, but observers say his Friday comments could undermine the son's already delicate position as Syrian president. A message board on the al-Arabiya Web site contained scores of posts from Syrians and Lebanese -- some condemning Khaddam, others praising him. However, many pointed out that even if Khaddam's comments were accurate, his hands were not clean and his catharsis too late. "Khaddam cannot convince me that he is a clean politician no matter how many books he will write, but I would appreciate it if he tells us the truth and not insult our intelligence by making himself looks like a hero," read one. Added another, "Mr. Khaddam, you're absolutely right in this, but hold on, you're a very serious partner in all the crimes committed in Syria and Lebanon for the last 30 years." Tim Lister contributed to this report 
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