Geagea Won't Take Part in Hariri Commemoration: There's a War on Sunnis in Lebanon
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stated on Wednesday that there is “unannounced war on Sunnis in Lebanon”, revealing that he will not take part in the March 14 commemoration of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination on Thursday.
“There is an attempt to accuse Sunnis of terrorism and of being behind all operations on the military institutions,” Geagea said in an interview with Future TV, accusing the Free Patriotic Movement of taking on the task to attack Sunnis in the “war against the Shiites”.
He explained: “The campaign against the residents of (the Bekaa town of) Arsal aimed at putting Sunnis against the army first, and later against Christians”.
The LF leader said that some parties are exploiting sectarian tensions, advising al-Mustaqbal MPs to calm things down as “sectarianism destroys the country”.
An army patrol was ambushed in Arsal by local gunmen as it was hunting a man wanted for several terrorist acts. The incident left an officer with the rank of captain, Pierre Bashaalani, and Sergeant Ibrahim Zahraman dead, and several military personnel wounded.
Arsal residents claimed that the soldiers were in civilian clothes and hadn't informed the town's authorities that they were planning to carry out a raid.
Geagea saluted Speaker Nabih Berri's efforts in playing a constructive role in the debate on the electoral law.
“March 14 is ready to compete in the elections and our opponents' failures and scandals help us in this respect,” he announced, saying that Lebanon's Christians lean towards supporting the alliance against March 8.
He elaborated: “We have tried to reach common grounds with al-Mustaqbal (Movement) concerning the electoral law but we did not succeed in this”.
“Al-Mustaqbal agreed to support the small electoral districts without specifying their number while the Progressive Socialist Party rejected any dialogue on this,” he said, adding that the cabinet's electoral law draft was turned down by all factions.
Geagea said al-Mustaqbal was brave to accept a mixed system: “Its opposition to the 1960's law is stronger than its rejection of the Orthodox Gathering's suggestion”.
"The elections could be postponed for a month at most for technical reasons,” he revealed.
Meanwhile, Geagea expressed that former PM Saad Hariri's proposal requires a long constitutional process: "The electoral law, however, must be approved soon".
He remarked: “The LF's interests is found within the March 14 coalition, on condition the alliance does not try to eliminate the party”.
“Despite the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's efforts, assassinations are ongoing in Lebanon as it is the opponent's method of dealing with issues,” Geagea said while explaining why he will not participate in the March 14 commemoration of Hariri's assassination on Thursday.
He named three incidents that discouraged him from taking part in the event, and which include the legal actions against former Minister Michel Samaha and Hizbullah member Mahmoud al-Hayek and reports about the involvement of party members in the Bulgaria bus explosion.
Bulgaria has given Europol the names of two of the people suspected in a bus bombing that killed five Israeli tourists last year, with hopes that the police agency can trace their movements and uncover how they financed the attack, the country's interior minister said.
The European country also requested that Lebanese authorities arrest and extradite the two suspects, who are allegedly Hizbullah members and believed to be living in Lebanon, an official said.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Military Examining Magistrate Judge Fadi Sawan issued an in absentia arrest warrant for al-Hayek, a Hizbullah member charged with the attempted murder of Batroun MP Butros Harb.
Geagea expressed: “We have to take precautions to safeguard our cause”.
He said of the STL's role: “We are not seeking revenge but we want to deter any future assassination attempts”.
Regarding Syria's ongoing war, Geagea said President Bashar Assad's regime will not last but might not fall soon.
“There is an attempt by the international community to negotiate a deal that involves a trade between the Iranian nuclear program or another regional matter with the Syrian card,” he revealed.
Geagea considered that Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi's visit to Syria does not entail any political motives and he credited Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Elias Audi's decision of not participating in the enthronement of Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Levant and Antioch Youhanna al-Yaziji.
"The neighboring country's complicated situation lead to surrounding al-Rahi's visit with ambiguity,” he expressed.
Al-Rahi's visit to Syria created a heated debate locally as several officials including President Michel Suleiman called against politicizing it.
The March 14 and 8 alliances are deeply split over the revolt in Syria as the opposition backs the collapse of the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
However, sources in the church described the visit as “religious,” and supported by the Vatican.
Commenting on the adoption of civil marriage in Lebanon, Geagea said: “Personally I believe marriage is a religious sacrament not a contract but I cannot impose my opinion on the society”.
"Those opting for a civil union must have the platform to do so,” he added.
The debate on civil marriage in Lebanon took a recent turn when a Lebanese couple, Kholoud Sukkarieh and Nidal Darwish, announced they had wed as a secular couple by having their religious sects legally struck from their family registers under an article dating from the 1936 French mandate.
Suleiman has since lobbied for a civil marriage law as a "very important step in eradicating sectarianism and solidifying national unity."
Source: Naharnet
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