Dubai: In a sign of further political tension in Lebanon, Hezbollah has denied a request from the United Nations tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri to interview its members.
The group's deputy leader, Shaikh Naeem Qasim, said in a television interview on Thursday that the tribunal asked to see several Hezbollah members after the end of Ramadan.
Indicting members of Hezbollah would be "unjust," Qasim said.
He also called on Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri to use his influence to make sure "any accusation is not unjust".
Hariri is struggling to back the tribunal and keep his wobbly coalition government, which Hezbollah is a part of, together.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's expected tour of south Lebanon during his official visit to the Mediterranean country later this month has been termed a "provocation" by the largest bloc in Lebanon's parliament.
"This visit is saying that Beirut is under Iranian influence and that Lebanon is an Iranian base on the Mediterranean," Fares Souaid, coordinator of the March 14 alliance, said.
The statement comes as Syrian President Bashar Al Assad visits Iran today on a trip aimed at reassuring Iranian leaders that the alliance between the two countries is solid despite Syria's improved relations with the US.
A US official said Washington was concerned about "Syria's activities inside Lebanon" and its relationship with Hezbollah.
