Anticipate Different Christian Vote In 2009
The “Christian mood” is different today than during the 2005 elections, according to MP Boutros Harb.
In an interview with the Kuwaiti As-Siyassa daily on Saturday, Harb recalled that Christians had stood by Free Patriotic Movement leader General Michel Aoun and the slogans he supported. As 2009 approached, however, Aoun had turned against those slogans.
Harb said he believed in the state as the sole decision-maker and rejected “security zones.” The issue of Hezbollah’s arms could not wait until the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict, he added.
Harb said the upcoming parliamentary elections would confirm that Christian public opinion would hold its leaders accountable.
In response to a question, Harb said he did not have “an answer to the question of how General Aoun claims to defend Christians while at the same time take positions contrary to the proposals of Bkirki.”
The MP said he was strongly in favor of the ideas proposed by President Michel Sleiman, particularly the call for a middle bloc between the March 8 and March 14 alliances that worked for the interests of the nation.
Harb described the recent meeting between Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri and Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as helping to “defuse tension in the country” and “creating a more optimistic atmosphere to avoid the confrontations that emerged after the events last May.”
On a Christian level, Harb said the situation was complex because there were “old issues that must be addressed.” The MP called on Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Marada Movement head Sleiman Franjieh to be “brave enough” to foster reconciliation between one another.