Aridi Rejects Turning Dialogue into ‘Rubber Band’ after Talks with Nasrallah

Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi has denied that he discussed with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah the issue of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the national dialogue which he described as a “rubber band.”

Discussions focused on “bilateral relations, the complicated situation in Lebanon and the developments in Syria,” Aridi told An Nahar daily about his talks with Nasrallah on Saturday.

He said in remarks published on Sunday that the prevention of strife and the consolidation of unity were fundamental.

Asked by An Nahar why he and not Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat met with Nasrallah, Aridi said: “There is no problem in this regard. My meeting with the Sayyed was based on a previous appointment.”

Earlier in the week, media reports said that Jumblat’s ties with Syria and its ally Hizbullah had reached a standstill.

Neither the STL nor the national dialogue that President Michel Suleiman had called for were on the agenda of his talks with Nasrallah, said Aridi, who represents Jumblat’s bloc in the cabinet.

“The dialogue has become similar to a rubber band,” he said. “The March 8 forces had previously rejected the resumption of dialogue.”

“During the discussion of the policy statement, these forces rejected the use of the words ‘dialogue committee’ which was replaced with the invitation for the consolidation of the atmosphere of dialogue.”

“We believe that dialogue should be open-ended without drawing conclusions on its results or else the tension will fill the vacuum,” he warned.