Geagea meets Aoun, says state should decide things, not Hezbollah
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday stressed that "Lebanon cannot remain in limbo,” adding that “Israel must withdraw from the south, and reconstruction must begin, but a functioning state is essential for all of this to happen."
Following a meeting with President Joseph Aoun in Baabda, Geagea emphasized that "we cannot accomplish anything without a truly functioning state in Lebanon, and this requires a single army and one unified armed force."
"We urged President Aoun to continue with the framework agreement. None of us is in love with this agreement, but at present, we have no alternative but negotiations," Geagea said.
Commenting on a question about the state making unilateral decisions, he said: "That's how it should be done. Hezbollah doesn't get to decide what the state should do."
Regarding the "Islamabad track," he emphasized that it "is related to U.S. and Iranian interests and has nothing to do with Lebanese interests,” adding that “it's simply about Iran trying to maintain its influence in Lebanon, which keeps us in the same vicious cycle."
He added: "President Aoun intends to see the framework agreement through to the end, and we all know this isn't easy. We should all stand behind the state instead of leveling accusations against it."
Addressing “Shiite” citizens, Geagea said it is not true that they are being “targeted.”
“They are like Christians and all other citizens, and they should stand with the state, which is best positioned to secure their rights,” he added.
MTV meanwhile reported that Aoun and Geagea held a half-hour private meeting after a meeting in the presence of the Strong Republic bloc and that the atmosphere was “very positive.”
Source: Naharnet
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