Geagea Says Syria, Hizbullah Waging Elimination War against LF with 'Aoun as Cover', Regrets Communicating with 'Liars'
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday accused the Syrian regime and Hizbullah of waging a “new elimination war” against his party, pointing out that Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun is only a cover for this attack.
“The LF is exposed to a new elimination war similar to what happened in 1989, and it is using again the same tools used back then,” Geagea stated in a press conference during which he responded to attacks against his party after it withdrew its support for the Orthodox Gathering's draft electoral law.
He explained: “The LF's stance towards the Arab Spring is the reason behind the Syrian regime's attack on it. The regime will not forgive us for our support for the revolution.”
The second reason for the attack, Geagea added, is because his party “stands as an obstacle in front of Hizbullah's plans.”
"Hizbullah invented a Christian-Christian situation to attack us and has mobilized its media outlets to serve this purpose.”
He noted: “There is an attempt to isolate the LF waged by Hizbullah, Aoun and their allies. But this will not take them anywhere.”
The LF leader expressed that his “only mistake was communicating with liars in the first place.”
"Aoun is trying to justify his failure by attacking us,” Geagea said, responding to the wave of March 8-affiliated media reports criticizing the Lebanese Forces for withdrawing its support for the Orthodox draft.
"Betrayal is a character of those who betrayed the cause and those talking about betrayal are the same who withdrew the Orange Book from the market.”
“My only mistake was that I agreed to communicate with them. It is unwise of you to think that I can betray Christians.”
"They are attacking us in matters that are not related to the vote on the Orthodox draft.”
Commenting on the vote on the electoral law, Geagea revealed that Aoun wants the adoption of the 1960's law, adding that “his statements are a proof of this .”
"I remind you that he was the one who said if the Orthodox proposal did not pass, he will go back to the 1960's law. But I am telling you the 1960's law will not be adopted in the upcoming elections.”
"They noticed that the LF is the number one party among Christians and they are trying to change that in the elections."
Geagea asked: “Why did he (Aoun) call for adopting a law based on proportional representation and that divides Lebanon into one district, or for adopting the cabinet's proposal if he so keen on Christians' rights?”
"Did the 2006 war secure Christians' rights? Is there an interest for Christians in Aoun's alliance with an extremist party that has encouraged establishing other similar groups?" Geagea remarked.
Speaker Nabih Berri postponed on Wednesday a parliamentary session that was set to discuss the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal for lack of quorum, after Al-Mustaqbal and the LF struck a last-minute deal on the hybrid proposal which was also backed by Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat's National Struggle Front and March 14's independent Christian MPs.
The Orthodox draft that considers Lebanon a single district and stipulates that each sect elects its own MPs under on a proportional representation system, is strongly backed by Hizbullah and the FPM.
Meanwhile, the proposal of the March 14 alliance, excluding the Phalange party, calls for 54 MPs to be elected under the winner-takes-all system and 46 percent via the proportional representation system.
The country would be divided into six governorates.
Source: Naharnet
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