Friday's attempted assassination of former Economy Minister Marwan Hamade did not appear to shake Walid Jumblatt's convictions over the weekend, the Chouf MP and Druze leader reiterating his call for a re-evaluation of Lebanese-Syrian relations and for a reversal of last month's constitutional amendment that gave President Emile Lahoud three more years in power.


Local and international condemnations of the attempted murder continued to pour in over the weekend, with public opinion divided as to the identity of those responsible for the attack. The car bomb that killed Hamade's bodyguard, wounding Hamade and his driver, was widely perceived as a warning to Jumblatt. In early September, Hamade and two other Jumblatt allies quit the Cabinet to protest the Syrian-orchestrated constitutional amendment and the attempt to transform Lebanon into what Jumblatt termed "a police state."

On Saturday, thousands flocked to Mazraat al-Chouf to attend the funeral of Hamade's bodyguard, Ghazi Abu Karoum. During the rally, Jumblatt reiterated his objection to the amendment and called for a re-evaluation of bilateral relations with Syria - cutting short any speculation he would shift position and realign with the authorities.

He called for "correcting the mistake of extending" Lahoud's term and for "frank, true and healthy relations with Syria ... purified of mercenaries." He also condemned those taking advantage of the irregular relations at the expense of the Syrian and Lebanese people.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier reportedly sent a letter to Hamade via his nephew, An-Nahar general manager Gibran Tueini, in which he called the bombing "an outrageous, lowly act that represents one of the gravest violations of democracy in Lebanon."

Visitors continued to flock to Hamade's bedside at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, where he was reported to be in stable condition after shrapnel was extracted from his face. Visitors included Premier Rafik Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri, who arrived directly upon their return from Paris and Geneva respectively. Others included former premiers Salim Hoss, Omar Karameh and Rashid Solh; former Speaker Hussein Husseini; and U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman. Feltman called on the Lebanese authorities to find and punish the culprits.

Syria's health and economy ministers, Mohammad Iyad Shatti and Adnan Omran, were also among well-wishers over the weekend, as was Syrian Vice President Abdul-Halim Khaddam, who visited on Friday, just hours after the attack.

After a visit to Hariri, Feltman said "I have told the Prime Minister that the U.S. government condemns this crime against democracy and against a nationalist personality respected at the international level. A crime like this one cannot go unpunished."

However, the weekend brought no new developments in the investigation of the bombing, while the judiciary reportedly continued taking testimonies and rounding up evidence.

Hizbullah's deputy Secretary General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, said "the perpetrators of this act want Lebanon to head toward civil strife," adding that Israel and the United States were the only factors with anything to gain from such an act. He also stressed the fact that the assassination bid came on the same day as a key report by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and that this was no coincidence, as it followed the clash between the authorities and the opposition over the extension of Lahoud's presidential mandate.

Others, however, indirectly attributed the act to Syria and its allies here. Former Army Commander, General Michel Aoun, now in exile in Paris, is reported to have said: "the Syrian and Lebanese security services are to be suspected.... I hope that the authorities will not accuse Israel in an attempt to cover up the crime." Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir also condemned the attack, saying, "this has returned us to a period which we are trying to overcome, and we thank God for safeguarding Hamade."

Sources reported that a proposed Cabinet reshuffle - originally scheduled for Monday - will be postponed by a few days. The reasons given were the bombing and international developments relating to UN Resolution 1559, which calls for a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon.

According to sources quoted by the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, Hariri met with Syrian intelligence chief Rustom Ghazaleh on Sunday; but no details were made available. Hariri is expected to meet members of the opposition Qornet Shehwan Gathering to discuss the possibility of including the group in the new Cabinet in an attempt to bridge the rift between the authorities and the opposition. Hariri also met with Jumblatt, former Culture Minister Ghazi Aridi and Baabde MP Bassem Sabaa for half an hour. None of those at the meeting would comment on the matter.

Note: Walid Jumblatt's shift to an active anti-Syrian position is of major importance, since it alters the political balance of power in Lebanon. Probably not by coincidence, it followed the Syria Accountability Act adopted by the US and American pressures on Syria to leave Lebanon and stop supporting terrorism, which make it more difficult for the Syrians to suppress the increasingly vocal Lebanese opposition. Though Hezbollah and most of the Shiites continue to support the Syrian presence, it is now being opposed not only by the Christians and the Druze but also by many of the Sunni Arabs. This explains the meetings of Sunni Prime Minister, Rafiq Hariri.