Question: Is there a relation between the latest fiery statements issued by the majority after the return of Saad Hariri and following this assassination?

General Aoun: ?The first time I was pessimistic was when I heard them and after this assassination.?

Question: the assassination happened in a high-security area and the targeted figure is a high security official?

General Aoun: ?This is a serious issue. It resembles the assassination of Pierre Gemayel. It is a protected assassination. We want to know who is protecting these assassinations.?

Question: Is there any relation between the assassination and the battles fought by the Lebanese army in the past against local militias and in Nahr el Bared?

General Aoun: ?I do not limit the suspicions to only one party. But the circumstances of the assassination prove it was protected. If the perpetrators of this assassination are the Narh el Bared terrorists and they are protected, then this is a real catastrophe and if it is not them i.e. some third party that is also protected, then it is a bigger catastrophe. We are facing a catastrophe at the level of security and we fear that the one who is supposed to protect us is the one that is killing us.?

General Aoun: ?I believe the crisis has deepened because the assassination is close to the government. The Lebanese people should reject this government under which all these assassinations occurred due to its policy and weakness. The minister of interior should resign after all this. They said previously that Syria was responsible for the assassinations, but Syria today is pushing for their candidate. And now they will tell us the Syria is responsible for the assassination. Can?t anybody in this government unveil one assassination, one of the 18? Who is protecting the Lebanese people?

We don?t want to rush to conclusions about the identity of the perpetrators.?

We promised the Lebanese people a happy holiday season but we thought that those who are making these statements today have acquired a minimum level of good will and have returned to the consciousnesses.

It is a pity that a martyr of this level be taken advantage of. It?s a historical disgrace for every one who uses such rhetoric.?

Question: General Brigadier Fancois el Hajj was one of the candidates to succeed General Michel Suleiman as army commander. Does his assassination aim at undermining his line in the army?

General Aoun: ?He was the number one candidate for this post.?

Question: Was he your candidate?

General Aoun: ?Yes, he certainly was.?

Question: What will the opposition do to prevent the abuse of the assassination?

Those things cannot happen by pure hazard. I have said this before and I reiterate it today, where is the intelligence of all those big countries in Lebanon, where is the professionalism required? Where are the security apparatuses of those great powers assisting Lebanon in the investigations of the assassinations?

They have always blamed Syria for the assassinations but now Syria is on good terms with the current regime and will be so with the next one and with the majority that used to accuse Syria for any assassination. They are on good terms with each other. It?s about time we knew who is hampering the peaceful process in Lebanon especially that we were about to reach an agreement to make Monday?s session successful and elect a president. Fouad Siniora, Saad Hariri and those meeting now in Saifi have to give the answers to all these questions and the ?children? should refrain from making political statement every day.

General Aoun: ?We got used to the fact that every time there is an assassination, there is a party that takes advantage of the situation and the crime is used locally and internationally. We are sorry that the Security Council announced yesterday that there will be problems and today this assassination happened. Local and international forecast of assassinations have always happened so far. Using this crime and evading the responsibilities show that there is a conspiracy between the party who is benefiting from the crime and its perpetrator and these two parties might be the same. This is a problem we?ve been facing since 3 years now. We condemn this government for failing to catch the perpetrators of any of the assassinations. This is the 18th assassination targeting a specific figure and now it has targeted the most important security institution in Lebanon.