I do not accuse “the party” without evidence

The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, confirmed that “the state will not be built as long as the resistance camp led by Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement exists, and the evidence is their attempt to undermine the municipal and optional entitlement after they understood that the popular mood was no longer in their favor as a result of the parliamentary elections in The year is 2022.”

Geagea added in an interview with “l’orient le jour”: “In response to everything that is said, I would like to assure you that we do not want to separate the south from the rest of the country. It is sufficient to hold and organize elections in the south after the end of hostilities, as happened in the 1998 elections, which were organized with a three-year delay in the south, after the Israeli withdrawal in 2000. Last year, there was no acceptable excuse, but they delayed the consultations to avoid an inappropriate test of their popularity. . This is what they may do today because of the shameful behavior of the Free Patriotic Movement, which will participate in the session scheduled for this purpose on Thursday thanks to an implicit agreement concluded with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri.”

In addition, he considered that “the case of Pascal Suleiman is the straw that broke the camel’s back, especially since it has become certain that Syrian citizens were the ones who committed the crime.” The army also arrested the five people involved. On this occasion, the issue returned to the forefront. But long before the crime was committed, the problem of displaced Syrians in Lebanon existed.”

He explained, “The issue is demographic, economic, and social…but above all, it is existential.” That’s why we fought this fight and we won’t back down. We cannot stand idly by and watch the country collapse. We risk being “literally drowned by foreigners,” while a country like Lebanon cannot bear that.”

He stated that “between 10 and 15 million Syrians live in Syria today, even if that in no way obscures the fact that the situation has never been good (at the political level) there.”

He continued: “Then we can say that there is a “safe” area for every category of Syrians. For example, opponents of the regime with Islamic leanings can live well in Idlib, while the north of the country can welcome less extreme opponents… There are also about 200,000 Syrians present in Lebanon who went to the polls during the Syrian presidential elections. They can easily return to their homes in regime-controlled areas.”

The head of the “Forces” stressed that “the return that we demand does not relate to those on the Syrian regime’s blacklist, knowing that it is the duty of the High Commissioner for Refugees to find a third destination for those among the one million and 700 thousand Syrians in Lebanon who face real danger, especially since Lebanon A transit country, not a country of asylum.”

He pointed out that “after Pascal Suleiman’s crime, the number of attacks on Syrians in Lebanon increased dangerously.” The Lebanese Forces issued only one press statement condemning these measures, asking: “Aren’t you afraid that a lack of awareness of the seriousness of this type of behavior will push the country towards dangerous security slides?”

He revealed, “We were not satisfied with the press statement published by the party’s media department three days after Suleiman’s assassination, but we also punished the party members who were involved in these attacks, which we reject and condemn.” The security forces also intervened in this regard, which allowed us to turn the page. But we also have to realize that when we face explosive situations, we cannot ask people not to respond. “In this context, we must solve the basic problem: the heavy presence of Syrians in Lebanon.”

He pointed out that, “Recently, the Lebanese Forces have given the impression that they are misleading public opinion, because, on the one hand, they want to carry the banner of the so-called “sovereign” confrontation with Hezbollah, and on the other hand, they make the issue of displaced Syrians their major issue. What is your real struggle today?

He saw, “We are fighting different battles, the battle of the return of the Syrians and the battle of confrontation with Hezbollah. I would like to mention in this context that after the killing of Elias Hasrouni last August, we directly accused Hezbollah. In the case of Pascal Suleiman, I do not accuse the party without evidence. But this does not in any way diminish the extent of our confrontation with this party for known reasons, starting with its unilateral decision to lead the country towards war, paralyzing institutions, and obstructing the presidential elections. At the same time, we are leading the fight to return Syrian refugees to their homes.”

Geagea added: “I still support the Syrian revolution against the dictatorial regime of Bashar al-Assad. But I ask a question to those who criticize us today: What did they do in this regard when they had about ten ministers within Mikati’s government, during whose term the influx of displaced Syrians began to Lebanon? So what did they do when the head of state was one of them? We must stop misleading the Lebanese.”