Geagea: Whole of Lebanon, Not Just Beirut, Must be Stripped of Arms
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea welcomed on Wednesday Beirut lawmakers’ calls for the establishment of an arms-free capital, noting that Lebanon would be living in “very flawed” circumstances if such a goal is not achieved.
He told Free Lebanon radio: “The whole of Lebanon, not just Beirut, should be stripped of weapons and armed groups.”
He questioned however the official authorities’ ability to achieve this goal, saying that no arms had been confiscated and no gunmen have been arrested in any of the armed clashes that had erupted in Lebanon over the past few years.
The LF leader explained the authorities’ failure to fulfill their roles can be attributed to the people, army, and resistance equation, “which some sides are exploiting” to legitimize any action.
On Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn’s statements that al-Qaida members had infiltrated Lebanon through Syria, Geagea remarked: “The army and security forces are obligated to tackle this issue.”
“If the claims are false, then why are the people being intimidated?” he wondered.
“Why hasn’t the army been deployed in the areas that have witnessed alleged infiltration of terrorists?” he asked.
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