Geagea Slams “Hostage” Takers, Urges Suleiman and Hariri on Working to Avoid Regime Crisis
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea sought to pacify Lebanon”s Shiites on Saturday but urged the president and PM-designate to prevent the cabinet crisis from turning into a regime crisis as a result of opposition obstacles.
"No one has the intention to eliminate anyone," Geagea said about the Shiite sect during a rally marking the anniversary of the Lebanese Resistance martyrs in Jounieh.
However, the LF leader warned that if the opposition was seeking to obstruct cabinet formation, then President Michel Suleiman and PM-designate Saad Hariri should "make up their minds and prevent the transformation of the government formation crisis into a crisis of rule and regime."
"If you (president and PM-designate) are trying to avoid headaches that the other team could cause to you and the country, then you will suffer and all of us will suffer from the pain of conscience," Geagea said at the Fouad Shehab stadium.
Addressing Shiites, he said: "There is no guarantee for anyone in Lebanon without everyone. We are a guarantee for each other."
Turning to southern Lebanon, the LF leader said the area should not be a place for settling accounts at the expense of foreign countries. "The south is the responsibility of the Lebanese state … and it is unacceptable to subject the people of the south and the Lebanese people to new tragedies."
He told thousands of supporters even if Israel was violating Security Council resolution 1701, it was the responsibility of the Lebanese state in cooperation with the Arab world and international communities to fully implement the resolution.
Geagea further slammed the opposition by saying that it has taken Lebanon hostage.
"The Lebanese state in its entirety has been taken hostage … The same way we resisted naturalization (of Palestinians), occupation, hegemony and marginalization, we are here to face obstruction," Geagea said.
The LF leader also slammed Hizbullah on the issue of popular majority.
"This parliamentary majority reflects a real popular majority as reflected in the Taef agreement and the constitution of the republic," he said in response to Hizbullah which says the real majority in the country is the opposition because of the high level of popular support it gets.
"Since every day you insist on wanting the Taef accord, then go ahead and abide by its provisions," he told the opposition.
He said the majority made concessions by agreeing to elect Nabih Berri speaker again even tough such a move didn”t reflect the majority”s point of view.
Geagea added the majority made more concessions by agreeing to form a coalition government. "But the other team wasn”t ready to accept this coalition unless with its own conditions."
He said if Hariri wasn”t able to form a government then the next step would be for the majority to form a cabinet that represents it and for the opposition to play its role within democratic norms.
"Real national unity is in safeguarding the constitution and the institutions … Participation in the regime means abiding by all its provisions including the results of the parliamentary elections," he told the crowds.
According to Geagea, national unity cannot be imposed by the other team through its own conditions and under the force of arms.
"This logic is totally rejected," he stressed, adding: "We won”t accept any threat today or any other day."