Whoever relies on the legal system, does not threaten or issue commands
Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra said that Marada leader Sleiman Franjieh and his supporters want to silence or use violence against their political adversaries.
In an interview with NOW Lebanon on Wednesday, Zahra said that the Marada Movement had not adopted the prevailing atmosphere of the state. Zahra said Marada supporters were stuck between dependency on government institutions on one hand, and acting like a militia on the other.
“For the last three years they have been using violence, and have killed four Lebanese Forces supporters,” Zahra said, adding “but we did not react. The LF will preserve its calm stance.”
Zahra called Franjieh’s press conference controversial. “If someone says he relies on the legal system, he does not threaten, issue commands and distort facts. He rather keeps the issue in the hands of the legal system,” Zahra said.
Zahra said that Franjieh’s statements, beyond just distorting the facts, aimed to disorient the public.
“He tries to play the role of the hero and victim,” Zahra said. “He cannot be an ordinary politician and rely on people because he does not offer them any political project.”
Zahra said that the LF and the Future Movement were targeted because they were the forces determined to build a strong state. “All the adventurers, who fight against the state-building project, are searching for methods of destruction,” Zahra said. “They are using security incidents to hinder peace and instigate conflicts here and there.”
Zahra also discussed the national dialogue, and said that those with wisdom could not expect an achievement in the first session. However, he said that Tuesday’s opening session was the beginning of a new kind of dialogue that objectively and clearly approached the issue of national defense strategy.
“All the attempts to dump the national dialogue or hinder it by increasing the number of participants and topics will lead nowhere,” Zahra said.
Zahra said that the positive atmosphere in the dialogue would lead to quick results that brought psychological relief to the people of Lebanon. He said that once political stability had taken hold, the country experienced a “great summer economically.”
“When Lebanon is safe and secure, all conflicts are resolved,” Zahra said.
On the recent meeting between the PSP and Hezbollah, Zahra said that all parties must work to create a tranquil political setting. “Political alliances were based on trust and process, and I do not think a security meeting can alter such alliance or cause disturbances,” he said.