Aoun Fears Outcome of Parliamentary Elections
Democratic Gathering bloc MP Marwan Hamadeh told LBCI in an interview on Sunday that “nothing will affect the International Tribunal for Lebanon… and it will initiate its work in The Hague in the presence of Lebanese and international judges within weeks.”
Hamadeh added: “I can ensure the Lebanese that the International Tribunal is on track.”
Hamadeh discussed the upcoming parliamentary elections, saying: “The lists of candidates of the March 14 Alliance will not be launched before a month and a half,” and added that this list will increase the electoral majority of the March 14 Alliance.
Hamadeh also said that “things have changed since 2005 elections when [Lebanese Forces leader Samir] Geagea was still in jail and [Free Patriotic Movement leader] Gen. [Michel] Aoun had just arrived from France after brokering a suspicious deal [with the Syrians], now the situation has changed and the decisions will be clearer.”
Hamadeh spoke about the proposed neutral parliamentary block, saying that “describing the neutral bloc as a nick-name for March 14 candidates is not accurate because there might be neutral candidates in the ranks of the March 8 Alliance too.”
He added: “Aoun’s position towards the neutral parliamentary bloc reveals that he fears the outcome of the elections, and I think he should feel afraid.”
Hamadeh also discussed Sleiman’s attendance at the Arab Summit in Doha, saying: “We [March 14 Alliance] were not satisfied when the president attended the Doha meeting, and we relayed this to him through ministers and advisors who are close to him.”
Hamadeh continued: “Sleiman told us that the regional and international situation forced him to attend the Doha meeting, and his speech in front the Arab meeting there was not received favorably by some countries, especially when he announced his commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative.”
He added that “President Sleiman defended the nation’s interests when he went to Doha and delivered his speech there.”
Hamadeh also criticized Hezbollah, saying: “It is obvious that there is a certain party that will not abandon its arms, and there is also a party that will not recognize the presence of such weapons outside of the Lebanese state’s authority.”
He added that “diverting the battle from Gaza to Egypt didn’t contribute to solving the Gaza crisis or serve the Palestinian cause, instead it caused opposite results.”
When asked about the upcoming trip of Defense Minister Elias Murr to Syria, Hamadeh said: “Minister Elias Murr heads to Syria as a defense minister and not as a candidate in the elections, and he will hold meetings according to an agenda approved by the cabinet.”
He concluded that “the aim of the Syrian regime has always been preserving its existence and not restoring the land [in reference to the Golan Heights occupied by Israel since 1967].”