Assafir (My translation. Hover for Arabic):
The significance of [Hariri's] double confession, even if late, lies in what further steps could be taken to complement it, politically and legally, and in the repercussions it may have on the political scene. The confession constituted a refutation of an entire political period that lasted 5 years, in which Lebanon underwent a political coup that severely tested the Lebanese-Syrian relationship.
Hariri’s unexpected initiative –the most important since he took after his father– could be an additional step towards building trust with Damascus through contrition, a step which was possibly demanded by Saudi Arabia and Syria. But it did not prevent questions from being asked, especially about what is asked of Mr. Hariri to do to prevent the great turmoil that would dawn on us should the STL’s indictment still target Hezbollah
Of course Assafir is assuming that Mr. Hariri was asked by the Saudis to lay off Syria, and that it was natural to ask the same of Hezbollah. Assafir takes for granted that the STL is a political affair and that Mr. Hariri should sell out justice to prevent “great turmoil”.
Hello, my name is Mustapha and I've been blogging about Lebanese society, business and politics since February 2005.
Well, regardless of the partisanship of the author, I think the article does raise an important point: Hariri’s declaration, while surprising and humiliating for him, provides no tangible benefits to the other side. It is still possible that Hezbollah could be indicted, and I don’t see any benefit for Syria that it did not already obtain from Hariri’s visit. This will be only significant if it is followed by other steps, such stopping the funding of the STL, or giving in to other demands of Hezbollah or of Syria. But the latest declaration, in my opinion, is in itself worthless to Hezbollah and the pro-Syrian side.