Salim Nassar to As-Safir: I Wrote Kissinger’s Letter Based on Direct Sources

Local Editor

After Hizbullah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah referred in his latest speech to the letter sent by former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, to the late Raymond Edde.

Many political analysts appeared to claim that the content of the letter which Sayyed Nasrallah read were merely fabricated, where the read writer of the letter is Lebanese Journalist Salim Nassar, while Kissinger has nothing to do with it.

In this context, in an interview with As-Safir newspaper, Salim Nassar mentioned the facts related to that letter, where he said that he gathered the information and wrote them in a form of reply from Kissinger, depending on direct sources who were in the urgent meeting between Henry Kissinger and then Lebanese President Suleiman Franjiyeh.

Journalist Salim Nassar's letter came as follows:

Commenting on the discussions in Lebanon over Henry Kissinger's letter to Colonel Raymond Edde, and whether it's credible and true, I would like to clarify the following:

First of all, the information mentioned in the letter is derived from official sourced including then Prime Minister Taqi Al Dien Al Sulh, Foreign Minister Foad Nifaa, and the White House Translator Kamil Nofal.

I preferred not to relate the information to prior sources for the sake of its required confidentiality. That is why I rephrased it in a form of a reply letter from Henry Kissinger to General Edde, as a reply to his letter in Annahar newspaper.

Second, I tried as much as possible to keep away doubts from my sources, knowing that the report of the meeting is recorded in specialized departments.

I recall very well that Kissinger opened the meeting with asking then President Franjiyeh whether the Lebanese army is capable of bombing the Palestinians and monitor their activities in the south.

Franjiyeh answered in a rather embarrassing question: "If the Lebanese Army was capable, why would it have to bomb the Palestinians who were expelled from their country which they're trying to gain back?"

This is a tip of the iceberg of the historic meeting that was marked with tension and intensity of debate. According to this information available with me, I rephrased the words in a virtual form, for the sake of my sources' reputation.

Wrote Salim Nassar

Furthermore, Salim Nassar added that all what His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said about the US policy towards Lebanon is a 100% true, and that the facts Nassar mentioned in his article are information gathered by head of intelligence back then.

In the same context, it's worthy to mention that the parts of the letter which Sayyed Hassan read in his latest speech are mentioned in the book entitled "Raymond Edde- A Conscious that Never Dies", dedicated to the late General Raymond Edde.