March 14 Candidates in Ashrafiyeh Renew Commitment to Democracy, Unity
March 14 candidates in Beirut 1 renewed commitment to democracy, unity of the state as opposed to an agenda to partition the country into “statelets,” during a mass rally in Karm al-Zaitoun-Ashrafiyeh on Thursday.
“Our platform is one of a state that is strong, just, able and unified. But their project is one of statelets,” minister and candidate Jean Ogassapian said.
The rally was attended by candidates MPs Michel Faroun and Serge Tor Sarkissian, Nayla Tueni and Nadim Gemayel.
“Our platform is one of a single army and the national charter which calls for equal power sharing, while theirs is based on the tripartite equation,” Ogassapian told the rally.
“Our platform is one of democracy and dialogue within parliament, while theirs is one of … shutting down parliament, the airport and the port. Their platform uses weapons to confront democracy,” he added.
“We in the Lebanese Forces, the Phalange, the Armenian parties and the people of Ashrafiyeh will overthrow the ticket headed by (deputy premier) Issam Abu Jamra. No matter how much support they bring from outside the area, be it Armenian or non Armenian,” he vowed.
For his part, Gemayel called for a “new Lebanon … one of dignity, freedom and security.” He warned that a victory by the opposition “will change the whole face of the Middle East, just like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad informed us.”
“Ahmadinejad did not say ‘if Hizbullah wins’ or ‘if March 8 win.’ He mentioned the opposition as a whole, which means new fronts will open across all of Lebanon,” Gemayel said.
Tueni said of her political opponents: “They want to change the color of the sky to orange, but we tell them the sky is blue like the color of An Nahar’s rooster and just as God created it.” She was referring to the official party color of the Free Patriotic Movement.
“They are trying to present a variety of banners, including one that says the resistance’s weapons (is necessary) to protect the Christians. The Christians do not need anyone’s protection,” she said.
Singling out MP Michel Aoun, she said: “On the occasion of the general’s visit to Ashrafiyeh, we tell them Ashrafiyeh belongs to the people of Ashrafiyeh, the people of Karm al-Zaitoun and the people of other neighborhoods,” she said.
For his part, Faroun slammed political rivals for trying to “make us forget our great martyr Gebran Tueni … president Bashir Gemayel and Samir Qassir” all of whom lost are the “martyrs of Ashrafiyeh.”