Lebanon in danger
Former Lebanese Ambassador Johnny Abdo on Wednesday confirmed that Lebanon was in undeniable danger.
The means the country had employed to reach national unity was “wrong,” Abdo told Future News.
The former ambassador did not mince words in outlining the role Free Patriotic Movement leader General Michel Aoun had played in shaking the possibility for Lebanese stability.
“[Aoun] prefers the weapons of Hezbollah over the weapons of the state, and he has run to defend the Syrian regime at every opportunity,” Abdo said.
“Hezbollah is compelled to undertake efforts to convince people that its arms are not directed against them, and so far has reassured no one.”
Abdo, also the former head of the Lebanese intelligence bureau, said power was “now in the hands of Hezbollah and not in the hands of the Lebanese state,” yet he refused to acknowledge that the Hezbollah-led opposition had “occupied” Beirut in May.
Though “it is true that it was taken over by a party outside the state,” he clarified.
Abdo called on the Lebanese army to reevaluate and convince the Lebanese people that there was no fear of any other weapons and emphasized that the army was immune to criticism.
“During the Nahr al-Bared war, there was political coordination between Syrian intelligence and Lebanese intelligence services, and the Mar Mikhail events were fabricated to attack the Lebanese army,” Abdo explained.
He also said that, while “some Shia officers in the Lebanese army follow Hezbollah politically, there are Shia who believe in the army and its commander, whoever he may be.” Abdo also expressed regret that “some officers had transferred Hezbollah’s threats to the other side during the events of May 7.”
Abdo underlined the urgent need to appoint an army commander and said it was “astonishing” that the Lebanese cabinet meeting was postponed due to the visit of Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.
“My information says that President Michel Sleiman finds that the national dialogue has become difficult after he was asked to broaden participation so that the dialogue would to include a number of leaders, such as [former] Prime Minister Omar Karami, Minister Talal Arslan and others,” Abdo said in response to a reporter’s question.
Abdo also expressed his belief that talks on the defense strategy were postponed and said he could only hope that the next parliamentary elections would be “free and fair,” but acknowledged that Hezbollah’s strength remained problematic.
The 2009 parliamentary elections would be “Christian -Christian by distinction,” he continued. “The Christian subconscious is against the presence of weapons outside the framework of the state.”
And on Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt’s recent stance, Abdo replied that the leader “knows perfectly well that he is among the top ranks in the March 14 alliance” and would fall to the “bottom ranks” should he turn to “the other party.”
“He also knows full well that the Syrian regime will not forgive him or the words he spoke against it, so he will definitely not move to the other ranks or change his convictions.”