Aoun: Patriarch Sfeir Does Not Speak For The Christians
Head of Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun said Patriarch Sfeir is free to express his opinion. However, he does not speak for the Christians.
In a press conference on Tuesday following a meeting of his political party, Aoun said that patriarch Sfeir is free to express his own opinion adding, "Christian society is democratic, the Patriarch remains silent and his stance is with March 14 Forces and is not a centrist. This means he is against the opposition."
Aoun explained that he did not participate in the St. Maroun mass on Monday saying: "because I do not attend public celebrations unless they are extremely important and under heavy security."
He went on to comment on internal affairs by questioning the different behavior of the Lebanese state regarding inheritance issues.
"There is a “legal game” that returns the inheritance of a Muslim that has no inheritors to Islamic endowments, while for Christians the state takes over. We ask that the state would receive the inheritance of anyone with no inheritors," Aoun said.
He went further to add that Mayors have no powers outside their villages, towns and overseas "as mayors loyal to March 14 Forces do."
"I call on the ministries of the interior and foreign affairs to take a stance on this," he said.
Regarding the issue of telephone wiretapping, Aoun was adamant in saying: "The campaign against (minister) Bassil aims to draw the curtain on his reforms and for reducing the phone bill. The scandal is in those that preceded him in the same position."
He charged that the military intelligence branch is an apparatus of the al-Mustaqbal movement.
When asked by reporters to comment on previous remarks in which he said that political tongues would be cut, Aoun replied saying: "Yes, we do politically cut tongues."
"Our national debt is at $51 billion, this means that every Lebanese owes $17,000 for a hundred years," he said.
But he went on to add that he guarantees all Lebanese that within two years "you would have a state, that security, economy and all related services would be guaranteed at a reasonable price."
Aoun was steadfast in defying his political opponents by saying: "We won”t kneel, that is why we are subject to political accusation, regional and international rumors."
He went on to attack Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat for criticizing the appointment of military officers to certain ministries.
"Walid Jumblat deals with the military officers in a very personal manner. If he accuses any officer of being pro-Aoun, then we are proud of that accusation," Aoun said.
He added "Jumblat wants the mountain to remain free of any security monitoring in order to smuggle his representatives to the region and act illegally."
Aoun ejected charges that Hizbullah bars journalists from entering its strongholds saying: "In the past MTV was prevented from entering Qoreitem, has anyone prevented anybody from entering the southern suburb of Beirut?"
He defended Syrian and Iranian stance with Lebanon, adding that both countries have been beneficial in the past.
"Iran and Syria have helped us and they deserve our respect, they took nothing from us," Aoun said.
He added "Syria has supported us politically and vitally during the war by opening the borders when we were under siege."