"March14 leaders, fear that the 'Tribunal' was set up to serve the political ends of the US in its showdown with Iran & Syria ..."

1. ".... Senior members of the U.S.-backed Lebanese political bloc known as March 14 Forces, feel strong frustration and vulnerability as they see their regional allies, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, stand helpless in front of a multi-front onslaught by Syria and Iran and their allies in Lebanon led by Hizbullah. Efforts by Riyadh to make up with Damascus and improve relations between Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the Syrian regime seem to have fell short of target and subsequently weakened Hariri and his political bloc....

    

2. Leaders and supporters of the March 14 Forces find themselves today in a very tough position and worried about the future. They feel their international allies have failed them. For one, the international tribunal's image and reputation is in doubt today. For four years the Syrian regime was presented as the prime suspect in Hariri's assassination. However, after French-led efforts to end Syria's isolation imposed (between 2004-2008) by the U.S. Administration of George W. Bush, talk about Damascus' responsibility of the murder halted, Syria's isolation ended and accusations shifted towards Hizbullah, which is Iran's strongest ally in the Arab world. Many analysts believe the West was trying to drive a wedge between Syria and Iran through such moves. However, the visit by Syrian President Bashar Assad to Tehran on October 1, 2010, and what emerged during and after his meetings there revealed that Damascus-Tehran ties were stronger than what many had expected and both were still on the same course against the U.S. and its allies in the region. Both seem to be coordinating their moves very well on many fronts: Lebanon,Iraq, the occupied Palestinian territories and other places and issues.

    

3. The March 14 Forces leadership wants the international tribunal to announce indictments and charges as soon as possible and regard the repeated delays and postponement to such an action to be harmful for Lebanon and to its standing and future as a political bloc. Some of these leaders even wonder whether the international investigators do have any tangible evidence against anybody at all. They fear that the international tribunal was set up to be used not to just achieve justice, but also to serve political ends to the super powers like the United States and the West, in their ongoing diplomatic showdown with Iran and its allies, including Syria. Some of these leaders believe the growing conflict between Hizbullah and the Hariri government over the tribunal was aggravating the growing Sunni-Shiite divide in the region, and subsequently turning Arab public opinion against Tehran, which would make it easier for Israel and U.S. to pursue the military option against Iran and its allies if need be.

4. The worst nightmare for the March 14 Forces is to eventually see weak or inconclusive evidence against any suspect....... Failure of the international tribunal would very likely politically kill and bury the "Cedar Revolution" and those behind it. As for now the political dynamic in Lebanon, especially with some March 14 Forces members abandoning the bloc to join the opposition, could eventually force Hariri to suspend funding the tribunal, but without denouncing the court .....The ball would then be on the side of the international community, especially the United States and the West, in determining the fate of the tribunal and most likely the future of Lebanon and the region. So far, Syria and Iran have been one step or several steps ahead of the U.S. and its allies. Will this status change anytime soon? So far, the facts indicate that a new order is emerging in the region and it is not in favor of the U.S. and its allies. As for Lebanon, the countdown is underway and not much time is left."