Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea calls for announcement of state of emergency
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea called for the declaration of a state of emergency in areas witnessing armed clashes, after which the military courts should investigate the violence.
Geagea also proposed national dialogue immediately after the formation of the government, prior to the announcement of the ministerial statement. The dialogue should address the items in the statement, he added.
In an interview with the Central News Agency, Geagea said the top issues on the dialogue table were “security and then security and then security, and then the defense strategy.”
“We must first address the situation in the areas of Mazraa, Barbour, Noueiri, Saadnayel, and Taalabaya and then the [refugee] camps,” he said.
Those involved in acts of violence should be apprehended and referred to the military tribunal and held accountable for what they have done, Geagea added.
Geagea noted that the events in Beirut last May could not be easily erased from public memory. “Unfortunately, we expected an attempt by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to remove these memories, or by Hezbollah officials, and the declaration of a quiet exit and an apology,” he added.
Geagea said that, despite “pressures” in the government formation, in principle the process was “still within a reasonable time frame.”
On Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s visit to Lebanon, Geagea said, “This issue requires serious thinking, and we cannot take it lightly. After all, there are 30 years of history that is not positive between the Lebanese and Syrian regime.” The visit would be counterproductive without the necessary preparation, he added, noting that, before diplomatic relations, there remained hundreds of missing persons detained in Syrian prisons and the issue of border demarcation.
On Free Patriotic Movement leader General Michel Aoun”s insistence on the Finance Ministry portfolio, Geagea commented that no one could insist on a particular ministry in the current situation. “We have to give and take,” he added.