Former President Amin Gemayel: The continuity of the Lebanese state is at stake, authorities have abandoned their responsibilities
BEIRUT – Former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel (1982-1988) has expressed his grief about the state of the country and the developments taking place today in Lebanon. Gemayel described what is currently going in Lebanon as a matter of “relinquishing” responsibilities and in part giving up on Lebanon. He warned that the unity and continuity of the Lebanese state is at stake.
The former President and former leader of the Kataeb Party made his statements in an exclusive interview with Rania Zahra Sharbel on Syriac satellite Suroyo TV.
With regard to Hezbollah Gemayel said that,
“Hezbollah is the Islamic Resistance Party in Lebanon and not the Islamic Lebanese Resistance Party; meaning that this resistance has nothing to do with Lebanon. It is just geographically present here.”
“There are parties in Lebanon whose loyalty is overtly to Iran, and their belief and loyalty is to the Iranian leadership. On the strategic level, they brought Lebanon into conflicts that have nothing to do with Lebanon. The conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Argentina are examples of this.”
Hezbollah does not hide its loyalty to Iran. On the contrary, Hezbollah openly declares its loyalty to Iran, and it admits that its weapons, hospitals, schools, and all the institutions associated with it, are funded by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to the former President, a Syriac Maronite, the situation in Lebanon will not stabilize without Hezbollah distancing itself from Iran, i.e. returning to its patriotism for Lebanon, the admission that Lebanon is the ultimate entity and homeland to all its children and citizens, and that the interests of Lebanon are paramount. Hezbollah must adhere to and propagate a message and role based on the Lebanese identity and loyalty to Lebanon, he said.
Article in Arabic: أمين جميّل: الوضع في لبنان لا يستقرّ إلا بعودة حزب الله الى لبنانيته ولبنان
With regards to the resignation of Kataeb Members of Lebanese Parliament after the August 4 port explosion, Amin Gemayel said that he considers the MPs’ resignation a warning and statement that all state institutions have become subordinate and that his party’s continued presence in them would be a false witness;
“We left the government in the interest of Lebanon. It is a warning to the Lebanese that Lebanon is in danger and we call for a reconsideration of Lebanese politics in many fields.” He indicated that his party’s resignation was more of a warning and does not exclude possible future participation.
President Gemayel also stated that the dismantling of Lebanese institutions began with the Taif Agreement. These institutions turned into wind as all the bodies supposed to monitor them were dismantled during the Syrian tutelage. The government acted without any checks and balances, control, or oversight;
“This has been done on purpose by the Syrian regime. In this way, Lebanese state institutions would lose power of what they were supposed to control. At this stage, corruption took off in state institutions. Hezbollah consecrated this system and nurtured the corrupt people, so that it, in turn, could carry its weapons. And Hezbollah has perpetuated the vacuum, benefited from it, and gave the green light to theft. In this vacuum it could take cover and proliferate its weapons arsenal.”
Watch the full TV program ‘B-kul Hirutho’ (“In all freedom’) here:
World Food Program to cease general food assistance program in Syria by 2024
DARAMSUQ — In the midst of economic challenges and worsening living conditions for the …
