Sheikh Kassem tells Saniora: Crying and jesting will do you no good; just resign

Al-Manar

"Hezbollah deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Kassem addressed the huge gathering in central Beirut saying that this is the largest and most refine gathering in the history of Lebanon. Sheikh Kassen called on the leader of the unconstitutional government Fouad Saniora to leave this people alone, "this people wants their country, so leave them, you robbers of this country."

"The play that you performed at the grand Serail, was an unsuccessful comedy play. I tell you that neither crying nor jesting will do you any good," Sheikh Kassem said. He called on "those holing up in their mansions" to hear the voices of the hundreds of thousands of people in the streets and called on Saniora's political bloc to stop counting on international support, "because the US support and the backing by some Arab and Western states will be futile. His eminence challenged Saniora to issue an order to the Lebanese army to release the truck of arms which was confiscated during the Israeli war against Lebanon and which belongs to the resistance. Saniora denied Hezbollah's Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah's accusation to him that he ordered the Lebanese army to confiscate arms belonging to the resistance during the war. The Lebanese army then issued a statement saying that the arms were confiscated and needed a "political decision" to be released. Sheikh Kassem said it is disgraceful that the Israeli cabinet holds a meeting to look into ways to help the government of Saniora. "You should resign for your honor and the country's dignity," his eminence addressed Saniora.

Two days before the first anniversary of the assassination of prominent journalist MP Jibran Tueini, Sheikh Kassem asked Saniora's bloc: "Why was martyr Tueini assassinated on the morning of December 12 and the principle of the tribunal of international character were indorsed in the afternoon? Why was Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel assassinated just hours before this tribunal was endorsed? What's this connection? You can analyze the connection between the two murders."

Sheikh Kassem vowed that the open sit-in and the actions to be taken by the opposition will continue until a real national unity government is formed. "