Syrian ex-VP's memoirs detail Assad's threats to Lebanon's Hariri

Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam reveals explosive details in his upcoming memoirs about a confrontational meeting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Damascus in the summer of 2004. Khaddam describes the encounter as the most severe in the period leading up to Hariri's assassination.

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Rafik Hariri was here, and I spoke to him clearly and frankly in the presence of the officers. I told him he was not allowed to work to bring in a president other than Emile Lahoud. I am the one who chooses who governs Lebanon, and whoever defies me, I will break his bones.

According to Khaddam's account, Assad summoned Hariri for an early morning meeting, during which he issued direct threats. "I told him he was not allowed to work to bring in a president other than Emile Lahoud. I am the one who chooses who governs Lebanon, and whoever defies me, I will break his bones," Khaddam quotes Assad as saying in the presence of senior Syrian officers.

The memoirs, set to be published in early September, trace the roots of this crisis back to the 1998 election of Lebanese army commander Gen. Emile Lahoud as president. Khaddam alleges that Bashar al-Assad strongly advocated for Lahoud, overriding objections from prominent Lebanese leaders like Walid Jumblatt, Nabih Berri, and Hariri. Khaddam himself had opposed Lahoud's appointment, leading him to request a transfer of responsibility for the Lebanon portfolio, which then fell under Bashar al-Assad's direct control.

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You are speaking to the prime minister of Lebanon, who represents the Sunni Muslims in his country. Have you considered the repercussions if your words reach the media? How can you address Lebanon’s prime minister this way in the presence of these officers?

Khaddam recounts being stunned by Assad's aggressive remarks to Hariri, questioning the potential repercussions if such words reached the media. He notes that Assad later attempted to smooth over the incident by inviting Hariri for another meeting, which Hariri initially refused, stating he would not visit Damascus again after the previous encounter. Hariri eventually agreed to meet Khaddam in Bloudan, northwest of Damascus.

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After my last visit, I will not visit Damascus.