I Fear a Return to Assassinations if the other side Feels it would Lose Elections
Lebanese Forces(LF) leader Samir Geagea expressed his fear against a return to assassinations and bomb attacks," If the other side feels that they won”t win the 2009 parliamentary elections."
In an interview to the Saudi daily Okaz on Sunday, Geagea affirmed that he will not run at the coming elections," Because I feel that I can do a better job outside parliament, also because I have my own responsibilities here at the party. The LF were persecuted for years, three years have passed since that time. I prefer to have more time in the coming period to follow up on my party work in addition to my general political work." Geagea said.
He stressed that no one party can stop the upcoming elections; however, someone can seek violence as means for changing election results if it feels it cannot win. They know that the 14 February 2005 electoral coalition will win, that is why I fear we might go back to the same type of behavior."
Geagea termed Interior Minister Baroud”s visit to Damascus as "important, but we have to learn from that visit to better plan for future ones."
The LF leader felt that there remains many unsolved issues between Lebanon and Syria, some of which cannot accept further delay such as the issue of missing and detained Lebanese in Syrian prisons, Syrian military bases in Lebanon under a Palestinian cover, border demarcation.
He called for settling all of the above prior to further visits to Damascus by Lebanese officials.
Regarding Syrian charges against al-Mustaqbal Movement of funding Fatah al-Islam Geagea said," these charges are not true. Mustaqbal spearheaded the war against Fatah al-Islam, it worked with the cabinet in authorizing the army to destroy them and (Nahr al-Bared ) camp if they had to."
"Syria wanted to move from being the defendant to being the victim through these televised "confession." Geagea said.